


Pilgrim Soul

by deepestbluest



Category: Naruto
Genre: Bodyswap, Canon Compliant, Getting Together, I'm playing fast and loose with chakra and neither Kishimoto nor Shōnen Jump can stop me, M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-12
Updated: 2020-03-12
Packaged: 2021-02-23 13:22:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23112004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deepestbluest/pseuds/deepestbluest
Summary: Shizune looks between them, eyes wide. “Tsunade-sama… Their chakra-”Tsunade’s eye twitches. “Explain. Now.”
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka
Comments: 54
Kudos: 554





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone around me: Shut up about that Kyle Kinane bit
> 
> Me: "You gotta be a Benihana chef for twenty minutes" is the single most terrifying sentence in the English language AND it's from a bit about bodyswapping so the fact that I didn't use it this time is a sign of great self-restraint
> 
> The title is from "When You Are Old" by Yeats

“Hokage-sama,” Kakashi says evenly as he and Iruka approach Tsunade’s desk, “we have a situation.”

Tsunade doesn’t look up from her papers. “I really can’t help you with Konohamaru right now, Iruka. I realize I told you to respond as you see fit when his behavior starts resembling Naruto’s, but really… Bringing Kakashi in is a bit excessive.”

“I’m not Iruka,” Kakashi says.

“If this is you rediscovering your fondness of pranks, so help me-”

Two steps to his left, Iruka says with Kakashi’s mouth, “I’m very sorry, but he’s telling the truth. I’m Iruka. You’re looking at Kakashi.” He ducks his head in a very Iruka way, formally and politely apologetic.

Shizune looks between them, eyes wide. “Tsunade-sama… Their chakra-”

Tsunade’s eye twitches. “Explain. Now.”

⁂

The explanation, as Tsunade and Shizune must have anticipated, involves Naruto.

“We were practicing ways of evading pursuers. He was trying to outrun me but kept tripping over things,” Kakashi says, “so he turned around and began making seals, presumably to make a barrier of some sort that would stop me, but, well…”

“But he tripped,” Tsunade guesses, glancing between them.

Kakashi nods. “He tripped.”

Shizune’s face shifts in a way that only makes it more obvious that she’s fighting the urge to laugh.

If Kakashi weren't currently speaking with Iruka’s mouth, he would probably feel the same way.

Tsunade focuses on Kakashi. “And how did you come into this, Iruka?”

“I was waiting on a bench nearby,” Iruka says. “I was supposed to be meeting a friend for lunch, but before he showed up, Naruto and Kakashi-san did. I heard Naruto’s voice before I lost consciousness, so I’m assuming I also got hit with whatever Naruto was intending to use on Kakashi.”

Tsunade winces, recognizing her mistake. “This is too weird. All of this is too weird. We’re on the brink of another war, a group of assassins is trying to kidnap Naruto to steal the Nine Tails, and now, one of Konoha’s strongest shinobi got slammed into the body of a schoolteacher.”

Iruka’s back straightens, and Kakashi fights a wince. Tsunade isn't trying to demean Iruka’s life's work. As she said- they're at war. Konoha has to prioritize fighters over teachers.

That's what being a ninja means. There isn't room for ego. Iruka knows that.

He doesn't relax, but he doesn't speak out of turn. 

“Speaking of Naruto, where is that pain in the ass, anyway?” Tsunade asks. “Don’t tell me he’s still out there unsupervised.”

“After he tripped, he fell face-first into a tree and gave himself a concussion.” Kakashi sighs. He loves Naruto, but it would be nice if they could go without a crisis at least for a little while.

“We brought him to the hospital before we came here,” Iruka finishes for him. Kakashi’s voice sounds odd, closer to what Kakashi is supposed to hear when he speaks but not quite right.

Without being told, Shizune walks around the desk and trots out the door, Tonton in her arms.

“Hiruzen knew this sort of thing was going to happen and died so he wouldn’t have to deal with it, didn’t he?” Tsunade asks. She sounds envious. Rounding on Kakashi, she opens her mouth, only to look sharply at Iruka and say, “Naruto was your student, Iruka-sensei. This is your fault.”

Iruka bows with Kakashi’s head. “I understand, Hokage-sama. Naruto did graduate from the Academy after my tutelage.”

Iruka’s body is unfamiliar, but Kakashi knows disbelief when he feels it.

_Since when does Iruka take things this quietly?_

“However,” Iruka continues, “as I did then entrust his education to Kakashi-sensei, I can’t help but feel he played a role in this. In fact, as it’s a jounin’s duty as a team leader to shape the graduates I pass along and teach them to be capable shinobi, I would suggest that he is even more to blame for this.”

He says it so politely and so reasonably, Kakashi almost overlooks the fact that Iruka isn’t so much throwing him under the bus as he is tying Kakashi down and running him over.

“I think we’re losing sight of the real culprit,” Kakashi interjects quickly. “None of us taught Naruto to get creative with seals. There's only one person who's truly responsible for this.”

Iruka and Tsunade look at him expectantly, and Kakashi uses all of the trustworthiness and earnestness Iruka’s expressive face can convey as he leans in and says, “Jiraiya.”

⁂

“Listen up!” Tsunade says half an hour later. “Inoichi, Shizune, and I work with Naruto on figuring out what he did, the two of you will be living as each other. Kakashi, you'll take over teaching at the Academy. Iruka, you'll be on 'bed rest'. No one else is to know about any of this. Understood?”

Iruka and Kakashi nod.

“Good. Now, just because Naruto did whatever he did doesn't mean Orochimaru will be similarly hamstrung. Should he try anything before we fix this, we need to know how you two have been affected. Inoichi cleared a room for you to test yourselves out. Once you figure that out, take a minute and discuss any details you'll need to know about living in each other’s bodies. Dismissed!”

As one, Iruka and Kakashi say, “Yes, ma'am,” and make a mutually hasty exit.

⁂

“Did you know about this?” Iruka asks, squinting at the underground training room. The air is stale and the lights too bright, but none of that should matter.

Without his mask, Kakashi can taste the air. He can smell it as well, but he has Iruka’s nose now. The staleness is unpleasant, but it isn't overpowering like it would be normally.

Iruka is probably going to vomit at some point. Kakashi adds that warning to the list of things Iruka is going to need, along with the salve that dampens Kakashi’s sense of smell. He hasn't used it since he was a kid, but Iruka will need it.

“I didn't,” Kakashi admits. “I don't have much to do with this part of things, though.”

“Try not to break it,” Inoichi says from the doorway. “It can withstand most attacks, but it can still be broken. Knock on the door when you have an idea of what you're working with. The hokage wants to know.”

Kakashi nods. “Fine with me. Iruka-sensei?”

“I'm fine as well,” Iruka says.

“Then I’ll give you some space. Oh, but first- your request.”

He hands something to Iruka, who smoothly pockets it, then the door closes, and Iruka and Kakashi are alone.

“Do you want to start or should I?” Iruka asks. 

Kakashi shrugs. “You have a plan, don't you?”

“I do, but if you want to do something else, I won't insist.”

“No, you may as well take point. What did Inoichi give you?”

Iruka reaches into his pocket and pulls out a few sheets of chakra paper.

_Smart._

“We may as well check our chakra natures, right?” Taking one for himself, he holds another out to Kakashi. “Mine is water.”

He makes a face as he says it, and Kakashi shakes his head in sympathy.

“Ocean, dolphin, water… That's quite a running theme,” he says as he takes the paper. “I can't say the same. My nature is lightning.”

Iruka nods. “Time to find out what we're working with, then.”

They both concentrate, and after a moment, Kakashi’s paper wrinkles and Iruka’s darkens and sags.

“Well, that's something,” Kakashi says.

“Things are going to get more complicated, though, aren't they?” Shaking himself, Iruka doesn't wait for Kakashi to reply. “I haven't seriously sparred in a while; I wonder how I’ll do. Where would you like to start? Ninjutsu, genjutsu, or taijutsu?”

He holds himself properly, and in Kakashi’s body, that uprightness makes him look more forbidding. It’s strange to see.

He’ll have to work on that; if he's going to pass as Kakashi, he's going to have to relax.

And Kakashi is going to have to start standing up straight.

The last of the novelty of being Iruka disappears at the thought of having to behave like Iruka indefinitely.

Kakashi considers Iruka’s question for a long moment. “How are you at genjutsu?”

“So-so. I assume you're accomplished.”

Iruka says it with a touch of curiosity but little else.

“Not like Kurenai, but yes,” Kakashi agrees, relieved that Iruka isn't making an issue of the gap between their skills. “You should start.”

Iruka nods, but before he starts, he says, “Try to break a minimum of my bones getting out of it, please.”

His pitch-perfect imitation of Kakashi’s voice startles a laugh from Kakashi.

At least Kakashi isn't stuck like this with someone humorless.

⁂

There's only one last test to run.

Kakashi is still decidedly stronger than Iruka in ninjutsu and genjutsu but not by as much as he would be in his own body. They're more evenly matched in taijutsu. Kakashi doesn't have much better stamina in Iruka’s body than his own, but he's also hampered by Iruka’s body's frustrating reflexes. They're slower than Kakashi's and opposite- Kakashi is used to his body knowing to pursue it when he gets an advantage, but Iruka’s body is primed to run.

It's a strange way for a ninja to have trained himself to react. It felt like cowardice initially, but watching Iruka adjust to Kakashi’s reflex to give chase doesn't fit with that. He doesn't flinch from hitting Kakashi, and he calmly takes Kakashi’s counter strikes.

Whatever led Iruka to teach his body to react like this, it wasn't fear of getting hurt or that reluctance of his to take lives.

The Sharingan is what really separates them.

It works for Iruka, but he can only use it once. Even that wiped him out; he’s been lying down for twenty minutes and isn't running anywhere soon.

It was a good idea to do the Sharingan at the end.

Iruka can use his own water and earth releases as well as lightning, but he can't use any of the others.

Kakashi can still use all of them, which surprises him more than Iruka.

As if to compensate, Kakashi has trouble with Iruka’s echolocation. It's a neat skill, useful and straightforward, and Iruka’s body leans into it.

Kakashi still can't use it right, though. The pulses of chakra he sends out are difficult to regulate, and getting them to be uniform is tricky. Reading the chakra when it rebounds is easier, but it's still difficult to make sense of what he's sensing.

 _Is this what he's always working with?_ Kakashi wonders after yet another failed attempt. _I understand the theory. I just can't make everything come together._

It's harder than perfecting Chidori. That was new territory, and he'd had to do it himself.

Here, he has Iruka to guide him, and Iruka does an admirable job of it. Even wiped out, he's patient. His directions are clear; he isn't trying to obfuscate his unique skill.

Kakashi isn't losing his temper, but he’s definitely getting frustrated. The awkward heft of Kakashi’s new chakra isn’t wholly to blame for his lack of progress.

His body and his mind aren't in sync.

He's never been so disoriented or so exhausted from doing so little.

According to Iruka, he can comfortably use the echolocation for hours. It seems impossible, but Iruka isn't having as much difficulty adjusting to being Kakashi as Kakashi is having adjusting to being Iruka.

 _He's a smart guy,_ Kakashi reminds himself. Competent graduates are vital to Konoha’s survival: Iruka wouldn't be allowed to keep teaching if he didn't understand what he was doing.

If this is what he's working with, though, he might be even smarter than he gets credit for.

Lying on the floor, still eluded by the echolocation, Kakashi sighs.

A few yards away, Iruka chuckles.

“You should try Chidori,” Kakashi says. “It isn't the most practical technique, but knowing how to use it could be important.”

Iruka grunts as he hauls himself up to his feet. He still looks tired, but he's standing steadily as he rolls his shoulders. “I’m ready when you are.”

Kakashi sits up and braces himself with his back to the wall. Holding out one hand to demonstrate what he wants Iruka to do, he says, “Then let’s start.”

Iruka nods, and Kakashi teaches his first lesson since he and Sasuke trained together before the chūnin exams.

⁂

Kakashi knocks on the door.

It opens a moment later, and Inoichi steps through. He takes one look at the wall Iruka is leaning on, his hand lifted above his shoulder, and says, “I’ll get Shizune.”

Like his paper earlier, Iruka sags. “Thank you.”

After Inoichi leaves and the door shuts, Kakashi ducks his head in apology. “It's never done that before.”

Iruka’s hand- Kakashi’s hand- shows all the hallmarks of holding lightning chakra the way Chidori requires. In places, the skin has cracked and begun to peel.

Kakashi has never incinerated a glove, though, and the type of damage to Iruka’s palm is far beyond anything Kakashi has gotten.

“Sorry,” Iruka says. His face is pale, and his arm is shaking. “Your hand is-”

“Shizune can fix my hand,” Kakashi interrupts. His stomach rolls whenever he catches sight of it, but his concern isn't with that. He's seen Shizune and Tsunade each repair far worse.

Seeing his hand reminds Kakashi of the sound Iruka made when Chidori went wrong.

Iruka kneads his forehead with the undamaged hand. “I’m still sorry.”

Kakashi shakes his head. He should have seen something going wrong. Inconsistent shape or excessive chakra could have done something like this. Iruka looked like he was doing it correctly, but Kakashi could have missed something. Iruka isn't as sensitive as he is. “It may just be the chakra.”

If that were the problem, Kakashi’s attempt should have backfired as well.

“No, I don't think that's it.” Iruka closes his unharmed hand around the opposite wrist, bracing his arm against his shoulder. “Even if I’m using some of your chakra, Chidori isn't a technique I'm meant to use.”

“That isn't-”

“With respect, Kakashi-san, I’m not like you,” Iruka says over him. “You saw how I faltered on that mission, and you were there when I asked the Third to let me teach instead. Chidori is useful because it's destructive. I’m not suited to that, and I never will be. It doesn't matter how much of yours I use; my chakra is still mine. I’ve never really had much luck with offensive techniques. But I’m very good at hide and seek. My students never catch me the first time we play.”

“Tsunade won't like this,” Kakashi points out. No Chidori, no Sharingan- Konoha is now down two powerful assets. Kakashi doesn't blame her for the mood she's going to be in.

“I don't like it either. If I could, I’d at least learn how to use it correctly.” Iruka gives Kakashi a wry smile. Probably. Iruka smiles differently, and Kakashi is having even more trouble reading him with the mask. “I really am sorry about your hand.”

Kakashi looks down at his hand. “Well, I did have a blister this morning from training with Naruto. That doesn't seem to be a problem anymore.”

Iruka is just shifting from surprise to amusement when Shizune and Inoichi show up.

Shizune’s first question, “How bad is it?” only makes him laugh.

⁂

“So,” Kakashi says, sitting in his kitchen. “Anything I should know about you, Iruka-sensei?”

Iruka looks up from the piece of paper he's been writing on. “Not much. I've written down the locations of the items you'll need while teaching in my stead. The rest will be in my grade book- instructions for substitutes are in front. Along with my lesson plans, they should cover everything.”

Kakashi looks down at the paper, takes in Iruka’s messy kanji, and says, “Thank you for this, but I was asking about you.”

“Oh.” Iruka rubs the back of his head. “I don't have any allergies, and I don't get sick easily. Socially, Daikoku, Suzume, and I go drinking with a few other teachers at the end of the week. Sometimes I go out with a few of the other chūnin, but that's pretty rare. I don't really have time to do much.”

It's a very small accounting of a life, and Iruka seems to know it.

“Well,” Kakashi says before Iruka can feel compelled to make excuses, “my stomach doesn't get upset easily, but I don't like fried foods or sweet things. No allergies either. Guy likes to compete with me, usually in odd ways; just fuck your head and walk away if he catches you. People may try to pull down my mask. If you can avoid that, I'd appreciate it.” He casts his mind around for anything else but comes up with nothing. “You know where I live and already have the key. There's just one thing left.”

Kakashi makes a quick seal and presses his palm to the floor. A cloud of smoke billows up, and when it clears, Pakkun is sitting on the floor by Kakashi’s foot.

“You already know each other, right?” Kakashi asks.

Pakkun blinks at him. “You're not Iruka.” He looks over at Kakashi’s body. “You aren't Kakashi.” He looks back at Kakashi. “This is interesting.”

Iruka nods. “It's nice to see you again.”

“You, too, kid. Although, I'm looking at you looking at me with a face I see frequently.”

“If you have any trouble, Pakkun will help,” Kakashi explains. “He knows where everything is, and he can find me quickly if he needs to. Right, Pakkun?”

“Right.” Pakkun looks between them. “That means you'll be staying in Iruka’s place while he stays here, right?”

“It does.”

That doesn't seem to sit well with him, but there isn't anything Kakashi can do about it.

Iruka clears his throat. “For what it's worth, I’m on good terms with my landlord. If they’re quiet, you could bring the pack with you.”

“You don't mind?”

“No, not really. I don't keep important things in my apartment so Naruto doesn't accidentally break them. I'm a good tenant; so long as the neighbors don't complain, you'll be fine.”

Kakashi exchanges a look with Pakkun.

“Until you sort out whatever this is, it would be good for someone to keep an eye on you.” Pakkun turns to Iruka. “Thanks, kid.”

“You're welcome.”

There's a beat of awkward silence before Iruka says, “The key to my apartment is in my jacket.” He gestures at one of the pockets on the jacket he’s wearing. “Like I said, anything important is locked away, so please make yourself at home. You shouldn't have any problems, but if you do-”

“If I do, I’ll send a member of the pack,” Kakashi finishes. “They can get to you and Pakkun as fast as Pakkun can get to me.” He looks at Pakkun one last time. “Keep an eye out for Guy, will you? He’ll notice if something’s off about me.”

“Will do,” Pakkun promises, and with that, there's nothing left for Kakashi to do except make his way to Iruka’s apartment.

⁂

The first thing Kakashi does when he gets inside is take a small breath in through his nose.

He doesn't smell anything- this is Iruka’s body in Iruka’s apartment, after all- but it's a habit.

Kakashi pokes around a bit before he realizes that isn't it, not the whole of it.

Iruka’s apartment is up to Inuzuka standards. His dirty laundry is kept in the bathroom, away from his clean clothes. He only has unscented cleaning supplies, there aren't any pungent foods, and he has an air purifying bag hanging in every room.

Unless Kakashi wants to stick his face in Iruka’s dirty laundry, which he doesn't, there’s nothing in particular to smell.

Making himself at home under Iruka’s kotatsu after finishing his search of the place, Kakashi sips at the tea he made in Iruka’s little teapot and considers the space he's going to be living in.

The apartment had seemed almost as sparse as Kakashi’s when he first came in, but the more he looked around, the more character he found.

There aren’t many books on Iruka’s low bookshelf; of the few there are, the majority are teaching guides. Most have conventional-sounding titles, but there are a few exceptions: a brightly-colored guide to learning disorders, three books on handling grief in children, a box set about “teaching juveniles while keeping in mind their changing bodies and avoiding misunderstandings”; and a dog training manual Kakashi can only imagine is for dealing with Inuzuka children and their ninken.

At the bottom, hidden behind a textbook on effective techniques for physical discipline that Kakashi is certain Iruka doesn’t use- it's dusty and, when Kakashi flipped through it, full of disparaging notes- and a few novels, there's a handful of books on managing anger.

Kakashi puts them and the other books back and moved onto another avenue of investigation. It doesn’t matter whether the books are for Iruka or his students; it isn't Kakashi’s business.

In the cabinets are the expected Number One Teacher mugs. Behind them, though, is an expensive tea set Kakashi had recognized by virtue of having rummaged through rich targets’ homes. He’d initially assumed it was one of Iruka’s splurges along with his few high maintenance plants, two soft bath towels, and a loyalty card to a nearby onsen.

The longer Kakashi had looked around, though, the more convinced he’d become that the expensive dinnerware isn’t part of that. Iruka’s little luxuries are things that make his daily life better. Something to care for. Nice towels to start or end the day well. Trips to the onsen to look forward to.

More likely than not, Kakashi decides, Iruka bought it for drinking with the Third and is too attached to part with it.

“You really aren't like me, are you?” Kakashi asks the ceiling. Iruka’s voice isn't quite right; his own voice, which he heard for the first time as the rest of the world hears it, sounded off as well. It's more difficult to adjust to that than he'd expected. “Although, neither of us could make it in ANBU, so perhaps we’re not so different after all.”

Iruka did find a field suited to him and excelled in it, though. Kakashi had wondered when Iruka first asked to transfer to teaching whether someone with such a soft heart would be able to teach his students to be as hard-hearted as ninjas in the field need to be. Iruka might be tempted to coddle them. He might not correct them sternly enough or impress on them the importance of being able to kill their enemies.

“That’s not what happened, though, is it?” Kakashi thinks back to the Third’s funeral. “You don't coddle them.” An exception can be made for Naruto, although even then, Iruka is more concerned about Naruto not dying than keeping him innocent. “They’ll take lives when they need to, and they'll drag themselves back home because you made them understand that they're part of Konoha.”

Tomorrow, Kakashi will take over that job.

Hopefully Iruka’s appearance will be enough to give the lessons the weight they need. Lecturing isn't one of Kakashi’s strengths.

It’s too early to sleep and Kakashi is feeling wired, so he follows Iruka’s directions to his hidden grade book and flips it open.

Before he can get past the first page, Ūheu, who's been exploring, trots over.

There's a scroll in his mouth. Kakashi saw it earlier and opted not to examine it too deeply, but Ūhei must have decided it’s worth looking at.

Kakashi takes it from him.

“The seals are pretty strong for a schoolteacher to need, aren't they?” he asks.

Kakashi could probably still force his way into it if he wanted to, but he doesn't.

Not enough to root through Iruka's things, anyway.

“Do you know what's in it?”

Ūhei shakes his head.

Kakashi squints at the scroll for a long moment.

“I already found the box with his condoms and all that, so he didn't seal those in here.”

Kakashi is doing his best not to think about that box, its contents or the possibility of Iruka getting into the drawer hidden on the side of Kakashi’s bed.

Shinobi are nosy as a matter of course, though; Iruka is going to find it sooner than later.

If Kakashi is lucky, they'll switch back before then.

Setting the scroll aside, he sighs.

He isn't going to force the scroll open, and he isn't going to think about the box he returned to its hiding place in the false bottom of one of Iruka’s drawers.

Ūhei wags his tail hopefully, and Kakashi pets him with one hand as the other opens Iruka’s grade book again.

“At least there's nothing in here I don't already understand, right?”

⁂

Kakashi does understand what Iruka is teaching, but he doesn’t understand Iruka’s notes on the lessons.

“What does he mean by ‘no hands’?” he asks Ūhei at one point. “Is that for me or the students?”

Ūhei, who's blissfully ignorant as a dog, doesn't know.

Eventually, Kakashi has to acknowledge that he's read through everything three times. There's nothing more to learn.

It would be weird for Iruka to sleep somewhere other than his own bed, so that's where Kakashi goes. He lets his hair down, strips down to his boxers, and gets into bed.

Adjusting to the feeling of hair on his neck is going to take time that Kakashi can only hope he doesn't have to spend.

Ūhei hops up and gets settled on Kakashi’s shins. He's warm and familiar, and Kakashi pets him thankfully.

If Kakashi doesn’t wake up back in his body, he knows he isn't in this alone.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning brings with it the awkward situation Kakashi had been hoping to avoid.

He's still in Iruka’s body, and there's no getting around it.

Showering is significantly harder when Kakashi has Iruka’s wobblier body and needs to keep his eyes up.

He tries not to think too hard about the backwards way he's wound up touching Iruka. Kakashi has been nursing feelings for Naruto's de facto parent for years; this is worse than wanting him from a distance.

Despite not having a choice and only giving himself the most clinical washdown of his life, Kakashi still feels dirty.

Ūhei paws at the bathroom door, unhappy that Kakashi is in an unfamiliar room where dogs aren't allowed to join him, and Kakashi sighs.

Inoichi and Tsunade will have Naruto’s mistake sorted out quickly. 

He still feels uncomfortable as he looks up at the ceiling while he gets dressed, avoiding the mirror until he’s fully dressed and has to figure out how to tie a ponytail.

⁂

Kakashi returns to Iruka’s apartment after the first day of teaching at the Academy and drinks the entirety of the first bottle of liquor he finds.

⁂

The next few days don't go any better.

Kakashi is going to owe Iruka a lot of alcohol.

⁂

He's still sitting at Iruka’s desk at the end of the fourth day, exhausted and distantly horrified at the thought that this could go on for the rest of his life, when an ANBU enters through the window.

“Hokage tower,” Tiger says.

Kakashi nods. “I'll be right there, ANBU-san.”

⁂

Tsunade looks ready to throw Kakashi through a wall.

“Would you like to explain why the principal of the Academy came to me with a box of complaints from students’ families about a sudden change in the behavior of their children's teacher?” She gestures at Shizune, who sets a stack of letters on the desk with a wince. “I don't know what you're doing, not doing or need to do, but fix it.”

Kakashi swallows. “I understand.”

In the chair next to him, Iruka says nothing.

“You've put me in an impossible situation, you know,” Tsunade continues. She still looks furious, but she looks tired, too. “I can't tell them their teacher really wasn't their teacher, but it’s wrong for them to have an incompetent teacher. When we sort this out, it will also be unfair to Iruka to send him back to the mess you made with his face. All you had to do was follow his instructions. I know you don't have a problem with that. So what is the problem, Kakashi?”

He can't tell her that he has no idea how to control a class with only the tools Iruka uses. He's a genius; she'd only tell him to figure it out.

“I'm not sure, but I’ll figure it out.”

“No, you won't. If you could, you would have by now. That's why I called Iruka here. He should be able to tell you what you're doing wrong.”

Kakashi nods, uncomfortable and relieved at once.

“If I may,” Iruka says, “I think I can do better than consulting on the problem.”

Tsunade narrows her eyes at him. “How?”

“Tell them it wasn't actually me.”

⁂

“It isn't a bad plan,” Shizune says, expression lifting for the first time since Kakashi arrived.

“It’s better than not bad,” Tsunade agrees, mirroring Shizune's relief. “So, Kakashi will return to the Academy tomorrow, as Iruka, and tell the class this was a test of their observation skills. Obviously, by rejecting the man they were told was their teacher, they all passed.

“He’ll also tell them that, to improve the smoothness of the handoff after graduation, ‘Kakashi’ will be observing.” Shizune smiles. “Kakashi, of course, is actually Iruka, who will be there to get the class back on track.

“Any objections?” Tsunade doesn't wait for them to answer. “No? Good. Now get out. I had to spend three hours in Naruto’s brain today. I deserve a drink.”

Kakashi doesn't linger, and Iruka is only a step behind him.

⁂

“They can be a lot, can't they?” Iruka asks as the two of them head down the stairs.

Kakashi nods. His face is hot. Iruka’s body reacts more to embarrassment than his does, but the feeling of turning red is more embarrassing than the things that make him blush.

“They can, yeah.”

“Well, you won't have to do it alone tomorrow.” Iruka doesn't seem worried that almost an entire week of lessons was wasted. If anything, he looks excited. “I’ll meet you at the Academy an hour and a half before class, and we’ll strategize. Does that sound good?”

Kakashi nods again. “Thank you, Sensei.”

Iruka grins at him, and some of the tension Kakashi has been holding eases.

⁂

Bull sits next to him all night, his head on the edge of Iruka’s mattress.

⁂

Kakashi wakes up two hours before he needs to leave to get to the Academy to meet Iruka.

With nothing better to do and too much energy, Kakashi decides he may as well go for a jog. Iruka has the right clothes for it, and from the uncomfortable tension that's been building in his body, he must go regularly.

Despite the strange feeling of having chakra that isn't really his, Kakashi doesn't mind it as much as he'd thought he would. It still responds quickly, and even if it definitely isn't entirely his, the rest doesn't feel so starkly _foreign_ anymore.

Swinging his feet over the edge of his bed, Kakashi takes a moment to pet Bull.

“I'll be back in a bit,” he promises. “Do you want to stay here or rejoin the others?”

Bull climbs onto Iruka’s bed. He looks up at Kakashi mournfully, and Kakashi winces.

“I know. If I weren't in Iruka’s body, I’d bring you with me, but people know you guys are with me. Even if I took the jacket off, you're still Bull, you know?” He reaches over and scratches under Bull’s chin. “When this is over, I’ll see about taking some time so we can all relax together. Okay?”

Huffing skeptically, Bull nudges Kakashi with his head.

“I know, I know. I said I’d go, so I better go.”

Kakashi undresses and redresses quickly, as he has every day since being slammed into Iruka’s body, eyes firmly on the wall in front of himself. He has a little trouble getting his legs into Iruka’s running shorts and has to brace himself on the mirror, but once he’s got his underwear on, he can look again and dress himself correctly.

A good run and he'll be back to himself.

⁂

If he'd thought about it a little, Kakashi would have known that his strategy of only spending the smallest amount of time in public was the right one. Of course going around looking like a beloved teacher would come with complications.

⁂

Iruka looks exhausted.

“You’ve been using the Sharingan by accident, haven't you?” Kakashi asks quietly. No one else is here, but it's still better to be careful

Iruka nods and heads for the open door.

Kakashi starts to walk toward it after Iruka, only to wince when Iruka knocks into the doorframe and bounces back

“How long did it take you to adjust?” Iruka asks. “I've never heard anyone mention anything about you running into things.”

“Well, I did do a bunch of exercises for a long time so I’d get used to it. It isn't perfect, though. If you ever see me try to walk when I’ve been drinking, you'll see that I still run into things.”

Kakashi expects a laugh, but Iruka only gives him a small smile.

“You should be more careful with yourself, Kakashi-sensei,” he says. “You're an important person, you know.”

Iruka reorients himself and steps into the building.

One step behind, Kakashi does the same.

He does it slowly, though; he’s also adjusting to having a different number of eyes.

“How many times have you used the Sharingan?”

“I've lost track,” Iruka admits, slowing without comment so Kakashi can fall into step with him as they make it into the hallway where it's wide enough to walk beside each other. “Your body remembers to keep your eye shut, but I keep looking for things on my left and opening it. I didn't realize that even with this-” he taps the forehead protector “-you have to keep it shut.”

Kakashi winces. “I should have thought of that. I wore an eyepatch with a seal when I was still getting used to the Sharingan. The seal kept it from activating when I opened my eye by accident. I keep it on my bookshelf with the plant. Use it.”

He doesn’t explain that he still has nightmares so vivid he wakes up with both eyes open, Sharingan spinning, and Iruka doesn’t ask.

Instead, he says, “Pakkun and I were talking last night, and I think we came up with a good strategy for handling the class.”

Kakashi doesn't try to hide his sigh of relief. “What's the plan?”

Iruka’s cheeks turn pink as he smiles. They always have, but now that he has Kakashi’s lighter skin, it stands out more.

Kakashi bites his cheek at the memory of the first time Iruka smiled at him like that. _He really is cute._

“You're going to pretend to know what you're doing,” Iruka says brightly, “and I’m going to do the teaching. All you have to do is tell me I’m doing well.”

⁂

“Did they give you the silent treatment?” Iruka asks as they set up the lesson he'd had planned for the first day Kakashi “taught” the class.

Kakashi nods.

Iruka chuckles. “They did that to me, too.”

“How did you get them to stop?”

“Oh, I just walked up the wall to the ceiling and told them that if they wanted to learn how to do it, they'd have to listen to me.”

Kakashi stops in the middle of passing out papers. “You bribed them?”

“Of course! They're seven. Bribery and praise are the best tools at that age.” Iruka looks up from his grade book and smiles. “They’re very perceptive. They must have noticed that their teacher wasn't acting like himself and decided to take advantage. They'll try to push me around, too.”

“But they won't have any luck?”

Iruka shrugs, but his smile doesn't waver. “We’ll see.”

⁂

Iruka isn't the deftest hand at manipulating his students, but he's far ahead of Kakashi.

By the time class breaks for lunch, he’s got them seated quietly and taking notes.

The notes are closer to scribbles than anything, but it's what Iruka wants them to do.

“How do you do it?” Kakashi asks. All he'd had to do all morning was nod the few times Iruka looked over at him, pretending to need reassurance, and he's exhausted.

Iruka doesn't look up from the notes he's making for himself as he revises his lessons on the fly. They're sitting together at a table, Kakashi watching the kids while Iruka pretends he's actually taking notes. “Do what? Teach?”

“Teach so many.”

“I don't really have a choice.”

“You could be a tutor like Ebisu. You're already well-liked. Finding work wouldn't be difficult.”

Iruka sets his grade book aside, a thoughtful look on his face. “I suppose I could, but I like watching them grow up like this. Their friendships change; their personalities become clearer as they start finding out who they are. They copy each other and push each other away. If I only taught one at a time, I wouldn't get to see that growth.”

He scratches the side of his face, cheeks turning pink again, and Kakashi has to wrestle with the uncomfortable feeling of wanting to kiss someone who looks like him.

And is him, sort of.

“I suppose you're right,” Kakashi says. “Having a team was nice.”

Iruka pats his shoulder and kindly doesn't say anything.

⁂

By the end of the day, Iruka looks dead on his feet. He's still going, but ten minutes after the students have left, he's rubbing at his eye and swaying unsteadily.

“You need that eye patch,” Kakashi tells him.

Iruka sighs. “On your bookshelf, right?”

Kakashi nods. “Let's head out.”

“Not yet. I still have to-”

“Home, _Kakashi-sensei,”_ Kakashi says pointedly. Lowering his voice, he adds, “It isn't unusual to see someone carrying me. I'll carry you there if I have to.”

“I just need one more-”

Iruka squawks as Kakashi grabs at him, intent on throwing Iruka over his shoulder, but it's Kakashi who goes flying.

He rights himself in the air and lands safely.

He feels his body try to settle into a defensive crouch as he does, though, another of Iruka’s strange reflexes kicking in.

Iruka bows his head. “I'm very sorry about that!”

Kakashi looks him over again, thinking about more than the draining effect of the Sharingan. “You aren't used to my body yet, are you?”

“Not really, no.”

“That's a relief.” At Iruka’s sharp look, Kakashi sighs. “I'm having trouble with yours. It’s really weird.”

“Hey!”

“Weird to me,” Kakashi revises, waving dismissively. “Your body does things oddly. Your hair is long and gets caught on things. Weirdest of all, you have both of your own eyes.”

Iruka leans against his desk; despite his exhaustion, he's scraped together a crooked smile. “You're right. We should go.”

⁂

Iruka only puts up token resistance when Kakashi tells him they're going back to Kakashi’s apartment together.

⁂

Pakkun is waiting anxiously just inside.

“You're late!” he grouses.

“Sorry,” Iruka and Kakashi chorus as they pass him.

Ignoring the fact that he got an answer in stereo, Pakkun follows them. “What happened? You look terrible.”

“I'm still having trouble with the Sharingan,” Iruka says. “Keeping one eye closed all the time is really difficult.”

“And what’s wrong with you?” Pakkun asks Kakashi. His wrinkles deepen as he looks up in concern.

Kakashi pushes Iruka forward with a hand on his back, not letting him stop to take his sandals off; any pause in momentum will probably send both of them tumbling to the floor. “Twenty-seven Academy students.”

“So they really did make you teach, huh?” 

Kakashi rubs his eyes with his free hand. “They did.”

Pakkun sighs. His claws click on the hard floor as the three of them file into Kakashi’s bedroom.

“Sit,” Kakashi tells Iruka, pushing on his shoulder.

Iruka lets himself be pushed. Kakashi hears him shift on the mattress.

“If you two are here together,” Pakkun says, “there's no need for me to stay, right?”

“Yeah.” Kakashi reaches for his plant and pulls it over. “Bull won't leave Iruka’s apartment unwatched as long as I'm staying there, though. Could you keep him company for me?”

“I can do that.” A moment later, Pakkun says, “Later, kid.”

“Goodbye,” Iruka says. “Thanks for looking after me.”

Pakkun grunts an acknowledgement before trotting over to Kakashi waiting for Kakashi to open the window for him.

When Kakashi looks over, Iruka is watching him with an odd expression.

“Something wrong?” Kakashi asks.

“No, I just- You had to open the window for him.” Iruka shakes his head before Kakashi can point out that ninken do still have paws. “You said the eyepatch will help?”

Kakashi nods. “As long as you're wearing it, you won't be able to use it even if you want to.”

The small box with the eyepatch is hidden in a compartment in the false bottom of his plant’s pot.

“It's better if people don't know they can neutralize the Sharingan like this,” he says as he pulls the eyepatch out. “I'm sure I don't have to explain why.”

“I understand,” Iruka says. Making sense of the way he speaks when he's using Kakashi’s face and voice is difficult, but he seems to be paying close attention.

Kakashi holds the eyepatch out to him, and Iruka takes it with a look of intense relief.

“Is it okay if I put it on now?”

“That’s why I gave it to you,” Kakashi says. “Feel free to wear it for as long as you can tolerate it. It fits under the headband, so you can keep it on when you go out.”

“Thank you.”

Iruka smiles softly as he shifts the headband up and pulls the eyepatch on. He struggles to get it aligned correctly, though; he's so tired, his hands are shaking.

Kakashi walks over and catches one of Iruka’s wrists before Iruka accidentally hits himself in the eye.

His fingers circle it, and Kakashi knows he’ll be haunted by the knowledge that Iruka can hold him like this.

Iruka looks up at him and swallows. His eye is open wide, his mouth shut tight.

Kakashi is still treating Iruka like he's the adorable chūnin teacher he sees at the Missions Desk and Ichiraku; he's fortunate that Iruka is too tired to send him flying again.

“Let me.”

He’s so used to adjusting the eyepatch, he can do it from this side without having to think about it.

Even if the face is Kakashi's, the mind behind it is Iruka’s, and Kakashi’s heart starts to beat too fast.

“You shouldn’t thank me before you’ve found out what happened when I tried to go for a run,” he says, finished adjusting the eyepatch and stepping back quickly.

Iruka winces. “It’s my turn to apologize. I don’t run on my own anymore- people tend to want to stop me and talk. It's been so long that I'd completely forgotten. If you want to, you can use the mat in my room to do some yoga, though.”

Kakashi nods, but he’s more interested in the revelation that Iruka does yoga than actually trying it. Iruka’s body is more limber than Kakashi had expected, and he’d wondered about the mat in the corner. He’d just chalked it up to regular stretching and taking care of his knees.

Yoga is a different beast. Combining physical training and meditation at the same time is smart.

But when did Iruka find the time to learn?

“Yoga, Sensei?” Kakashi asks lightly. He may as well. “When did you pick that up?”

Iruka coughs. “On a mission. I was escorting a client who was fond of it and kept insisting that I, ah, join in.”

_Does my face go that red when I get embarrassed or does he blush harder?_

“Getting involved with a client? That seems unlike you. A bit beyond the scope of your mission, no?”

Iruka clears his throat. “Nothing happened while on the mission.”

_While on the mission, huh?_

“But afterwards…?”

“My life isn’t one of your disappointing novels,” Iruka tells him primly.

Kakashi ignores the jibe. “So you’ve read them?”

“I tried one out of boredom, yes. Jiraiya really didn’t try to disguise the fact that he was writing about himself and Tsunade.” He shakes his head. “I've read better prose in reports annoyed from annoyed shinobi.”

He shakes his head in disappointment, and Kakashi feels himself smile.

Iruka smiles back. “Even a superfan can acknowledge its flaws, I see.”

Kakashi sighs. Not having the mask leaves him too easy to read; that's why he wears it.

He opens his mouth to protest, but Iruka rubs his forehead again.

“You really have been running into things, haven't you?” Kakashi asks. “You did well navigating the school, but that's unusual. Right?”

Iruka nods. “I know the school better than my apartment. I could probably navigate it blindfolded.”

Considering how much steadier Iruka is in his classroom versus everywhere else, Kakashi wouldn't be surprised.

“We’ve been acting like this will get cleared up sooner than later, haven't we?” Kakashi asks. “That may not be the case.” Kakashi turns and heads to his closet. “It can't hurt to prepare ourselves for an extended stay in each other’s bodies.”

“I agree. Is there something helpful in one of those hidden compartments?” Iruka asks mildly.

Kakashi grins at the section of wall he's about to open. “So you aren't too polite to resist the temptation to go looking.”

“It would be unwise to spend time in a ninja’s home without checking.”

“And you were curious.”

“And I was curious. You have an interesting approach to sealing. Most follow tradition, but a few are odd. The other one in the closet in particular is irregular.”

Kakashi pauses with his hand in the hidden compartment.

“I didn't try to open it, of course,” Iruka continues. He's dropped Kakashi’s drawl; the earnestness in his tone is his own. “Even if I'd been willing to overstep like that, I would have had to release the seal.”

Pulling out his hand and the object he was aiming for, Kakashi asks, “And you have no way of knowing what you'd unleash.”

When he turns around, Iruka is frowning at him. 

“I tell my students that the most important thing to remember about sealing is that anything that can be sealed can be unsealed. A weapon, a memory, a monster- seals can't destroy these things, only hide them.” Iruka looks out the window. “It's tempting to think we only seal dangerous things, but it isn't that simple, is it?”

“Is that so?” Kakashi asks.

“Anything can be sealed if you're creative and strong enough, even good things.” Iruka looks back at Kakashi. “You found the scroll under my bed, right? It's all I have of my family. A can of my mother’s favorite tea. My father’s spare mesh shirt. Some photos. I sealed them in that scroll as soon as I learned how. I haven't opened it since, but I could if I wanted to. I’m not sure if that's a comfort or a threat.”

“You think there's something good behind my seal?” Kakashi asks.

“I have no idea what's behind it. Seals can be broken, but they don't need to be. Besides,” he adds, voice lifting, “it's very good work. I don't break statues just in case there's a prize inside.”

The smile he gives Kakashi is entirely unsuited to Kakashi’s face, but on Iruka’s, it would be heartstopping.

Kakashi swallows against the lump in his throat. “That's an appreciation Naruto didn't inherit.”

Iruka barks a laugh. “He does have a very specific set of aesthetic preferences.”

“That's a charitable way to say he’s still only interested in ‘cool techniques’ and food,” Kakashi says dryly.

“Fifteen is a good age,” Iruka agrees, seeing through him.

“Young enough to make mistakes, old enough to start cleaning them up? Do they ever stop being cute to you?”

Iruka shakes his head. “None of mine are old enough for me to be sure, but I doubt it.”

That's how he is. Iruka’s love is freely given; it doesn't occur to him to make his students work for it.

_If I asked you to teach me how to stay as hopeful as you are, would that be enough for you to love me, too?_

That isn't the kind of love Kakashi wants, but it's something.

_Could you survive me if it is?_

Iruka sighs; the sound dispels Kakashi’s wondering.

“I'm still in my twenties, but I feel like an old man,” he says sheepishly. “I haven't lived a very difficult life, but I see my students sitting upside down and making bets about their grand futures and I feel my own back twinge.”

Kakashi nods. He feels old, too.

He's going to be older than his dad sooner than later; the knowledge sits uncomfortably with him.

_Speaking of uncomfortable…_

“You've been sleeping on the futon, haven't you?” Kakashi asks. “The bed looks just like it did when I left.

Iruka nods. “I have. It's better than my bed.”

_He isn't wrong._

“My bed is even better. I'm sure you figured out where the clean sheets are.”

Iruka coughs. “I didn't.”

“You didn't,” Kakashi repeats flatly.

“I was looking for other things…”

“Like?”

Iruka glances away, breaking further from acting like Kakashi by scratching at his cheek in embarrassment. “I was hungry, I didn't want to risk your kitchen by cooking in it, and you seem like the type of person who would have things to grab in case you got called away on an unexpected mission.”

He’s right; Kakashi does have bags of pre-prepared snacks.

Iruka using “risk” to describe an aversion to cooking is concerning, but that's a matter for later.

“Did you find anything?” Kakashi asks.

“I did, but Pakkun had to confirm for me. You chose difficult hiding places.”

A sound tactic.

“I'm surprised he helped,” Kakashi says.

_What's Pakkun up to? He wouldn't let someone walk around in my apartment just because he’s a shinobi from Konoha._

“We negotiated,” Iruka says. “I rubbed his belly, and he told me where the food is.”

_That makes more sense, but Pakkun still had to agree to let Iruka rub his belly in the first place._

“I do have a way with dogs,” Iruka drawls, once again affecting Kakashi’s way of speaking like he had at the Academy.

He gets the sound right, but something about it rings wrong.

Iruka isn’t suited to speaking the way Kakashi does- or perhaps Kakashi is too used to hearing Iruka speak the way he normally does to appreciate the change.

“Negotiating with him, huh?” Kakashi asks. “He must like you.”

Iruka ducks his head. “He's a funny guy. He only sounds gruff.”

The gruff voice is Pakkun’s only defense. He'd sound more like Iruka if his voice matched his personality.

If Iruka isn't suited to Kakashi’s lazy drawl, then Kakashi has no chance of sounding right when he tries to match Iruka’s earnest way of speaking.

Kakashi winces. Every time Kakashi speaks, Iruka must envision the mess he’ll have to pick up when they get their bodies back.

“It's weird, right?” Iruka guesses. “Hearing someone else’s voice when you talk?”

Kakashi nods. “Talking like you is harder. I’m lucky that the people I ran into out there were more interested in telling you what they’ve been up to than analyzing the way you speak.”

Iruka’s smile is bright even with most of his face covered. “A side effect of teaching children- they like to say hello when they’re your students, and they like to tell you how well they’re doing when they’ve outgrown you. Who was it today?”

Kakashi makes a sound that wants to be a laugh, but he's too uncomfortable. “I’m sorry. There were so many of them… I wasn’t expecting it, and as soon as one of them said your name, others came over.”

To his relief, Iruka laughs. “Yeah, that happens now and again. A lot of them were genin, weren’t they?” Kakashi nods, and Iruka’s expression softens. “A number of them graduated a few months back. Their lives are changing drastically in a short period; they tend to come see me because I’m familiar.”

 _It’s more than that,_ Kakashi thinks.

Yes, Iruka is familiar, but that wasn’t why those kids came up to him. They wanted their teacher’s approval. They wanted acknowledgement and reassurance from a man they respect.

They know Iruka keeps them in his heart, and, without realizing it, they keep him in theirs.

Iruka is warm and kind. The lack of killing intent that would get him killed outside the village makes him perfect here. When Kakashi has to raise his voice at Naruto, he can’t help but make his irritation known, but he’s never felt a real threat in Iruka even when he’s hollering after Naruto and chasing him through the village.

To be the kind of man whose love for his charges is so fundamental to him as a man, it can’t be shaken by disobedient children who scream and argue with him… 

Affection can be beaten out of good people. Kakashi has seen it; he's felt it. He lost his own good nature years ago.

Iruka is a man who can crouch down patiently and dry tears from children who tell him they hate him.

_He’s a good match for Naruto. The bold decision the Third made was the right one. He doesn't want to close off his heart, and he isn't going to. In time, he's going to do something great at the Academy._

_I hope I live long enough to see it._

Even in Kakashi’s body, Iruka has kept his warmth.

 _That's why this chakra isn't jarring,_ Kakashi realizes. _His body is part of him. I’m not a threat, so why wouldn't he work with me?_

If the same is true for Kakashi’s body, Iruka isn't so lucky.

“You know, if you want to run, there’s a group I join sometimes,” Iruka says, changing topic abruptly. “We don’t talk much, so I doubt they’d notice anything different. Having them around tends to dissuade people from trying to talk with me.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Kakashi says. “You haven’t had any problems as me, have you?”

“When I first came here, one of your neighbors asked me if I’d take the mask off for him. I pretended I couldn’t hear him, but he had to know I was faking.”

Kakashi nods. Bothersome as it is, he's used to the request. “Unfortunately, that’s just how he is. Feel free to keep ignoring him. I haven't found a way to get him to stop.”

Iruka’s face wrinkles in distaste. 

Kakashi hadn’t noticed just how much Iruka emotes before they got switched. He's been mimicking it, which would be exhausting if his own face had to do it, but Iruka’s wants to have thirteen different smiles and five frowns.

It's strange to see him do that with Kakashi’s face.

When they get back to their own bodies, Kakashi is going to pay more attention how expressive Iruka is.

Kakashi shrugs. “He’s not that bad. He just enjoys provoking people. Our landlady threatened to impale him with a broom once.”

Iruka chuckles, already looking better with the Sharingan covered, and without meaning to, Kakashi finds himself playing host. He leads Iruka into the kitchen and makes tea while regaling Iruka with the adventures of his neighbors.

Every time he makes Iruka laugh, he tries to do it again.

He keeps the stories light, and even if it sounds like Kakashi, Iruka’s laughter warms Kakashi’s desolate apartment until the time comes for Kakashi to return to Iruka’s apartment and send Pakkun back.

“I miss my body,” he tells Bull, “but this could be worse.”

⁂

Kakashi does try yoga.

Iruka has a book on it tucked in the rolled up mat and a few pages of notes with planned out routines.

Kakashi is partway through the third one when he realizes Iruka can comfortably do a split.

He makes it through two more poses before he gets so distracted by the thought of Iruka lying on his back and holding his knees against his chest that he loses his balance.

“That's enough yoga,” Kakashi tells Bisuke from the floor.

Bisuke yawns.

⁂

That doesn't stop his mind from wandering during a lesson later in the day. As flexible as Iruka is, he could probably stay standing and wrap one leg around Kakashi’s hip.

⁂

He isn't very heavy. Kakashi could support him enough if Iruka held onto him.

There are plenty of walks around if Iruka wants to feel something other than Kakashi at his back.

⁂

Iruka asks him what he thinks of Iruka’s work, and Kakashi needs a moment to shake off the Iruka in his mind asking if he did well.

“It's very good, as always, Kakashi-sensei,” Kakashi says.

That would be good to hear Iruka say.

⁂

Four more days pass without any sign they'll be returned to their bodies any time soon.

“We’re almost back on schedule,” Iruka says happily as Kakashi makes them dinner. By unspoken agreement, they’ve eaten together in Kakashi’s apartment every evening since Kakashi gave him the eyepatch. Kakashi has always liked the process of cooking- it’s a challenging mixture of following directions and deviating from them- but he’s never enjoyed it on his own.

He hadn’t cooked for anyone since Obito and Rin until Iruka showed up.

Every time Kakashi sets food down in front of him, Iruka looks at him like Kakashi performed a miracle.

From Iruka’s descriptions of his attempts in the kitchen, he might actually see it that way.

“The kids are reaching the end of their rope, though, aren't they?” Kakashi asks.

He gestures for Iruka to take the rice out and serve it.

“They are, which is why we’re going to push hard for another day, then have one where they can have fun. We all deserve to be rewarded for our hard work, right?”

Kakashi thinks of Iruka’s loyalty card and rigorously maintained grade book. There are planned ways for him to let his class relax; there are little parties, ideas for shinobi to invite in to demonstrate certain techniques, practices disguised as games, even a big trip into the woods that's as much a chance to build survival skills as it is a three-day opportunity to play outside.

Iruka isn't being flippant about everyone deserving rewards. He carries the future of Konoha’s shinobi on his shoulders; taking a day to relax isn't an indulgence so much as a survival strategy.

“We do,” Kakashi says.

He hands Iruka a bowl for the table; Iruka takes it with one hand as he drinks from one of the novelty mugs Guy insists on foisting on Kakashi.

“I wonder if you really mean that.”

About to hand over the next bowl, Kakashi freezes. “What?”

“When did you last do something nice for yourself?” Iruka asks. “I'm in your body, Kakashi. I can feel how tired it is.”

“Rewards are for after the work is done. My work isn't done.”

“It never will be. So long as shinobi exist, we’ll always have work we can't put down. But we can ask each other to hold some of it for us. We don't have to do it all by ourselves.”

In Iruka’s voice, Kakashi would have to reckon with that.

In this version of his own, Kakashi can shrug it off.

Iruka studies him for a long, tense moment before taking the bowl from him. “I keep my kunai sharp by caring for them. I don't use the same one over and over until it breaks. Even if we're nothing but tools, we still benefit from being cared for.”

Kakashi swallows and says nothing as he brings the rest of the bowls over.

Iruka is standing up, waiting for Kakashi to join him.

They sit down in silence, serving themselves and passing bowls between each other wordlessly.

If the air weren't so tense, it could be nice.

He's reaching for the rice when Iruka says, “I'm sorry. I was out of line.”

Kakashi clears his throat. “You were, but you were being honest. I can't hold your nature against you.”

If they were in their own bodies, this would be the perfect moment to touch Iruka’s hand and tell him his honesty is part of his charm. He's open to the good things the world offers, and Kakashi wishes he wanted to be like that.

It isn't in his nature to welcome the world, but standing next to Iruka as Iruka does, is close enough.

“Do you have any ideas for the class’ day off?” Kakashi asks. 

Iruka smiles. “I have a few. You're my co-teacher now- why don't you tell me what you think?”

He describes several possibilities, pausing now and then to prompt Kakashi to give his opinion until Kakashi figures out that Iruka wants him to take an equal part in the planning.

If they were in their own bodies, Kakashi still wouldn't be able to convince himself he could kiss Iruka, but it's a nice fantasy.

⁂

The next day passes slowly. The students are argumentative, and at one point, Iruka has to pretend to consult Kakashi every few minutes because one of them is getting disruptive.

“Iruka-sensei,” he says eventually, “could I speak to you in the hall for a moment?”

Kakashi nods and follows him out.

After the door shuts and they walk a little way down the hall, Iruka leans in and says quietly, “You're going to have to yell at them.”

“Now? Won't it make tomorrow seem like a reward for bad behavior?”

“This has already gone on longer than I usually would have let it. If they settle down afterwards, we’ll be fine. If not-” he shakes his head “-there's a reason I don't tell them ahead of time.”

He's standing so close, Kakashi almost can't hear him over his heart pounding.

“What should I say?” Kakashi asks.

⁂

Kakashi does his best impression of Iruka’s rowdy type of shouting, repeating each point Iruka gave him, and watches the class go quiet.

⁂

“You did well,” Iruka says as they take off their shoes.

“I've yelled at students in the past.”

Iruka chuckles, and after the tense silence in the classroom, the sound is especially cheerful. “That's right. Naruto told me you terrified them in the beginning.”

“Teamwork is important,” Kakashi says simply.

“You're right. We were a good team today, so let's have our own reward- we can drink a little with dinner.”

⁂

Iruka keeps forgetting to eat. Every time Kakashi starts talking, Iruka looks up from his food to watch him. He sips at his sake and reacts to Kakashi, even joins in to share his own thoughts, but he doesn't eat.

Kakashi stops talking periodically or nudges him until he takes a bite, but he's barely had anything in the time it's taken Kakashi to eat his fill.

The mask is up, but Kakashi can tell he's smiling.

_He must be exhausted._

After an especially long stretch of Iruka not eating, Kakashi taps the side of Iruka’s bowl meaningfully.

“I worked hard on this. You shouldn't let it go cold.”

“But it's still good when it’s cold,” Iruka says. Nevertheless, he picks up his chopsticks. “You’re a great cook.”

The compliment is common but makes Kakashi’s chest warmer regardless.

Kakashi’s been drinking, too.

Iruka should kiss him.

Not now- Well, maybe now.

Kakashi looks at his own face and thinks about kissing it.

No, no kissing now. 

Maybe later.

Iruka’s hands are clumsy as he slips the mask down to take a bite. He isn’t fast with it even when he's sober and never will be. That’s probably why, despite Kakashi’s assurances that Iruka can forego the mask in the apartment, Iruka insists on wearing it.

Just in case.

He also wears the eyepatch all the time. If he’s annoyed by it like Kakashi had been at first, he hides it well.

Idly, Kakashi wonders how Iruka would look if he wore a mask like Kakashi’s when he's in his own body. Kakashi could find out by putting one on, he supposes. There are spare masks in the apartment just in case. He could easily grab one and check a mirror. Iruka wouldn’t question it- Kakashi spends most of his time wearing masks, after all. Iruka would probably chalk it up to Kakashi feeling strange without one.

He wouldn't be entirely wrong.

It wouldn’t be Iruka, though. It would be Kakashi in Iruka in a mask.

“Thank you,” Kakashi says, and when Iruka grins at him, Kakashi smiles back.

Is it easier to smile because that’s the kind of thing Iruka’s body is so used to doing?

Smiling isn’t difficult; Kakashi isn't a total stranger to happiness. He just seems to feel it more with Iruka.

When Kakashi eventually returns to Iruka’s apartment, his belly is full of good food and his chest feels full with contentment.

Despite being trapped in a body that still feels a little strange, he’s having a good time.

⁂

The next morning, everything falls apart.


	3. Chapter 3

Kakashi drank too much last night. He’s hungover and clumsy, and as he leaves the bathroom, his mind is on remembering the technique he came up with a while back to get rid of hangovers when Ūhei, who'd been quietly pawing at something in a corner of Iruka’s room, looks at the door and lets out a single, ringing bark.

It's only the mailman, but it's unexpected enough to startle Kakashi.

Unprepared, he stumbles and drops his towel.

On his way to grab it, he accidentally catches sight of himself in the full-length mirror he's been using to ensure he looks put together like Iruka normally does.

Kakashi knows Iruka is good looking. He hasn't been nursing this crush for so long he’s forgotten how handsome Iruka’s face is or overlooked the way Iruka fills out his uniform.

He'd look even better with Kakashi on his knees between Iruka’s thighs.

Kakashi looks away from the mirror quickly, but it’s too late.

He has to work with Iruka today.

Kakashi gets dressed quickly, his eyes fixed firmly on the wall.

He pets Ūhei on the way out so he knows Kakashi isn't mad at him. It isn't Ūhei’s fault Kakashi drank too much and made a mistake.

It isn't Ūhei’s fault Kakashi screwed up.

⁂

Iruka knows something’s off as soon as Kakashi arrives, as does the class. They're having the little party, though, and Kakashi’s inability to look Iruka in the eyes isn't so obvious when he's keeping seven year olds from battling over the treats Iruka brought them.

⁂

“I was thinking,” Iruka says as they begin to clean up, “maybe tonight we should-”

“I can't,” Kakashi interrupts.

“You- Huh?”

“The hokage needs me.”

It's a bad lie, but Kakashi can't be near Iruka when shame is making him sick to his stomach.

It was an accident; accidents happen.

This wasn't any kind of accident, though. Iruka is working hard to maintain Kakashi’s privacy; he hasn't said it aloud, but Kakashi knows he barely leaves the apartment except to come to the Academy.

Accident or no, it feels like a betrayal.

“Have they made progress on fixing- on the project?” Iruka asks, expression hopeful. “Although, they didn't say anything to me…”

“I'm not sure,” Kakashi says, committing to the lie. “But I'll let you know when I do.”

He smiles as reassuringly as he can, and Iruka nods, accepting the lie for the truth Kakashi wishes it were.

⁂

Tsunade frowns at him from her chair. “What did you do?”

“Nothing.”

“You came in here practically falling over yourself to beg for Inoichi to dig around in your brain, and now you're lying. Would you like to try again?”

Kakashi winces. “It's… personal.”

“You don't mean…” She coughs, but there's the beginning of a smile in the corners of her lips. “If this is about certain human desires-”

“It isn't!”

“-you should talk to Iruka. He's surprisingly open minded”

Kakashi should have known this would happen. He can't explain the problem, and Iruka’s body is blushing so hard that it looks worse than it is.

Tsunade is teasing him, but Kakashi can't help thinking about Iruka finding out what happened and not believing it was an accident.

“Of course,” he says stiffly. “I'm sorry for disrupting you.”

“Wait a second.”

Kakashi pauses on the edge of his seat.

“Inoichi and I are running into a wall with Naruto. He’ll be here in an hour for a meeting I already scheduled with him. You may as well stick around. It involves you; Inoichi might be able to get a head start if you're here.

“But,” she adds, voice sharp, “whatever is going on with you, you need to sort it out. Don't hide behind me.”

Relieved, Kakashi nods. “I understand.”

“Good. Now get out of my office.”

⁂

As he waits, Kakashi can't help but think about Iruka spending his evening alone in Kakashi's apartment.

There’s plenty of food in the apartment, Kakashi reasons. Iruka won’t starve because Kakashi didn't join him for one meal.

⁂

Kakashi is called back to the office a few minutes after Inoichi arrives.

The Yamanaka clan has one of the most unsettling secret techniques Kakashi has seen. Overtaking someone’s body, pushing down their sense of self and desires so their body is little different from a puppet…

In terms of horror, even the Nara family’s secret shadow techniques can't compare. A shadow can be avoided or broken.

You can't avoid your own body.

Inoichi squints at Kakashi.

“It really is weird, isn't it?” he asks. “The spliced chakra alone-”

“Focus, Inoichi,” Tsunade interrupts. “Are you prepared to review Kakashi’s memories?”

Inoichi looks away from Kakashi and nods. “We could do it now, if you want to.”

“I do want to, yes. Kakashi?”

Kakashi nods.

“Then let's begin.”

⁂

In the end, all Kakashi has to do is sit in a chair, close his eyes, and answer some simple questions.

As Inoichi begins, Kakashi feels chakra build behind himself, prickling at the edge of his awareness but not sending up the same immediate warning that he needs to move like it would if he were in his own body.

“What's your name?” Inoichi asks.

“Hatake Kakashi.”

“What's the name of the man whose body you're in?”

“Umino Iruka.”

“What day was Naruto born?”

“October 10.”

“What was the weather like on the day you and Iruka switched bodies? Was it warm or cold?”

“Sunny,” Kakashi says, thinking back. “It was warm.”

“What direction was Naruto heading in?”

“East.”

“Describe his fall.”

“While running, he looked back at me and tripped over his own foot. He stumbled but seemed to continue making seals.”

“Could you see what seals?”

“No.”

Inoichi hums. “Try to relax. I want to try something different for the next few questions; it will be uncomfortable but not painful.”

“Inoichi,” Tsunade says quietly.

“This isn't the experimental technique,” Inoichi assures her. “We’ve been using this one for years. It's a better way to access the senses. Are you okay with that, Kakashi-san?”

“I'm fine with it.”

A moment later, there’s a twist in his gut and a nauseating feeling like something pushing into his head.

“The feeling will subside shortly,” Inoichi tells him. “You said Naruto stumbled. How many steps did he take before he landed?”

Kakashi needs a moment to put his thoughts in order; the nausea is subsiding but still distracting. “Five.”

“When he landed, was he prone or supine?”

“Prone.”

“Was anyone else around?”

“Yes.”

“Other than the three of you, please count and describe them for me. You don't need to be too specific, just ages and location.”

“An old man was lying on the next bench beyond Iruka. A group of three children, all Academy age, was running toward us on the other side of the street; as Naruto fell, they'd just passed the old man. There were three people behind me, about fifteen yards away.”

“Anyone else?”

“No.”

“What was Iruka doing on the bench?”

“He was eating his lunch.”

“I think that's it, then,” Inoichi says. “You'll experience that feeling from earlier again but in reverse.”

The flow of chakra dissipates, and Kakashi feels pressure lift off his skull and the knots in his gut untangle.

“You can open your eyes now.”

Relieved, Kakashi does.

Tsunade is still sitting across from him, behind the desk. 

“Any luck?” she asks Inoichi, who stepped over to rest his hip on the edge of her desk.

“Unfortunately, I can't find any sign of him being an intruder in Iruka’s body. His memory is very sharp, though.”

Tsunade sighs. “Well, it was worth trying.”

Inoichi nods, but his lips purse as he looks over at Kakashi, expression pinched. “Sorry, Kakashi-san. Hopefully next time.”

“Hopefully,” Kakashi echoes.

⁂

There's no telling what Inoichi’s expression meant. The Yamanaka clan has a reputation for seeing things a bit unconventionally. Inoichi seems relatively normal, especially for a man whose talent is for digging through people’s minds, but there's no telling what he was looking at when he was in Kakashi’s head.

He might have a theory, but he could have come away unsettled by something he saw in Kakashi’s memories.

_ It wasn't what happened this morning,  _ Kakashi tells himself.  _ Even if he did see that, he had to have seen that it was accidental. _

Everything is fine.

The Yamanakas are discreet and careful about what they look at and what they do with what they find, but as Kakashi slips through the village’s darker alleys, avoiding any potential conversationalists, he can't quite relax.

⁂

Back in Iruka’s apartment, Kakashi turns the mirror around. He should have done this earlier. Even if he'd needed it to help get Iruka’s ponytail right at first, he hasn't needed it for a while.

Ūhei whines from Iruka’s bed.

“It wasn't your fault,” Kakashi reminds him. He walks over and sits on the edge of the bed so he can scratch behind Ūhei’s ears. “We’ll both be happier when I’m back in my body, though, won't we?”

Ūhei looks up at him with round, adoring eyes, and Kakashi lets out a long breath.

“They'll figure it out eventually.”

He says that, but he's starting to have his doubts. 

So far, Konoha hasn't faced any immediate serious threats, but if it did…

Kakashi wouldn't be as much of an asset. Iruka would be too strong to be allowed to watch over the evacuees but not strong enough to compensate for Kakashi’s drop in effectiveness.

There's nothing but misery down this line of thought, but down Kakashi goes.

⁂

“Well,” Kakashi tells Ūhei an hour later as he gets to his feet, his body heavy and stiff from hunching over, “we can't help any of this, can we? What happened, happened.”

Ūhei gives him a look that says he isn't sure if Kakashi means the body swap or what happened with the mirror.

Kakashi doesn't know either.

He takes a deep breath, reminds himself that he can't see Iruka in the mirror because it's facing the wall, and takes his flak jacket off.

Ūhei sighs.

Kakashi feels the same.

“I don't know what I'll do tomorrow when I see him,” he says. “He’s too unpredictable to try to plan for.” It's one way Iruka almost parallels Naruto, but Naruto is always a breath away from doing something unusual. Iruka is usually so put together, Kakashi forgets that there's an impulsive, passionate man just below the formality.

A hopeful part of Kakashi had suggested they might remain friends after this. Even if being in love is impossible, Kakashi could still be someone who gets to see Iruka like he is when they eat together. He could still enjoy the company of someone who likes him enough to stop being so formal.

When Iruka finds out about the towel, he won't want to do that.

Kakashi slips Iruka’s shirt off next.

If it were anyone else, Kakashi probably would just tell them what happened and accept the consequences, but things are different with Iruka.

Kakashi takes Iruka’s pants off; he’s careful not to let his hands even graze his skin.

He really doesn't want Iruka to be angry with him.

_ Angrier, _ he amends.

Iruka won't be content with Kakashi’s excuse. It's another, less visible part of his personality Kakashi likes. Iruka doesn't know he's doing it because it's intuitive, but he's constantly looking underneath the underneath. Children have difficulty expressing their troubles. He looks after thirty of them at a time, and Kakashi has seen the notes Iruka makes. Even if it takes him time, Iruka is devoted to finding and addressing their collections of pains.

Having that focus trained on Kakashi is unsettling. It isn't good for a ninja to be seen; being visible means being in danger.

_ It's tempting to think we only seal dangerous things, but it isn't that simple, is it? _

Kakashi hasn't sealed his memories, only reminders of a man he swore he'd never be. Iruka has his father’s shirt. Kakashi has the only traces of the White Fang that aren't locked in a graveyard.

He's got Iruka’s attention, too. His underneath the underneath isn't supposed to be seen; there's nothing good to be found there.

The bandages come off next. Kakashi has to sit back down to unravel them without manhandling Iruka’s body, and Ūhei gives him a look of concern.

Kakashi looks up at the ceiling. He can't see Ūhei and reassure him, but he can't see Iruka’s body either.

Iruka would look at all the things Kakashi hid away. There's a mess in Kakashi’s head that isn't quite sealed, and if Iruka wanted to, he'd unearth things Kakashi doesn't want him to see.

Things Kakashi doesn't want to see.

It might be good, though, for someone to take a look and tell him how bad things are. Just to confirm what Kakashi already knows.

He gets back up, puts the bandages and dirty clothes in the hamper, and returns to the bed.

Ūhei has already slipped off, but when Kakashi gets under the blankets, the bed is warm.

He pulls Iruka’s blankets up over his face as Ūhei hops back up and flops down at his feet.

This wouldn't be so bad if it were anyone else.

Why did it have to be Iruka?

⁂

The next day begins before dawn with Shiba shaking him awake before dawn and Pakkun scratching at Iruka’s apartment door.

Stumbling over, Kakashi asks, “What are you-”

“It's not an emergency, exactly,” Pakkun says. “He isn't going to die. One of your friends did get the jump on him in your kitchen and tie him up with a chair, though.”

In the middle of reaching for his sandals, Kakashi pauses and looks over sharply.  _ “With _ a chair?”

Pakkun nods.

Kakashi sighs. At least he knows who’s with Iruka. “This is going to be interesting.”

⁂

Rather than try to be subtle, Kakashi walks into his apartment like he always does. 

“Hello, Tenzō,” he says cheerfully as he walks into the kitchen, Pakkun and Shiba trotting behind him. “It was good of you to check on me. Unfortunately, you've misread the situation.”

Tenzō stares at him.

Kakashi takes in the damage to his apartment. “I take it Iruka put up a fight.”

“Iruka? What are you doing here? Why are you talking in the third perso-” Tenzō stops himself. “Ah. You're Senpai in Iruka's body.” He looks toward Kakashi’s bedroom. “That makes the man I put in your closet Iruka.”

Kakashi smiles at him. “Surprise!”

⁂

As Pakkun said, Iruka is indeed immobilized by a warped wooden chair in Kakashi’s closet when Tenzō opens the closet door. He doesn’t seem to have tried to free himself. Kakashi can’t figure out if that’s because he didn’t want to risk antagonizing Tenzō or if he’s just saving his energy to be angry after he’s been released.

“The Mokuton sure is impressive,” Kakashi drawls, sensing Tenzō’s growing weariness. “I hope you can put my chair back, though. It’s my favorite.”

“No, it isn’t,” Tenzō replies evenly as he frees Iruka. He reshapes the chair anyway. “Sorry, Iruka. I didn’t recognize the chakra as yours and Senpai’s mixed together.”

To Kakashi’s surprise, Iruka smiles. “You were just looking after Konoha; I can’t be angry about that. It’s better to be careful than risk an enemy posing as Kakashi.”

“Kakashi”, he says. Not “us”.

He’s right, but it rankles.

“Do you two know each other?” Kakashi asks, frowning at Tenzō. “You're being awfully familiar.”

Iruka and Tenzō nod in unison.

“As you know,” Tenzō says, “before his death, the Third regularly spent time with Iruka. All the ANBU know him. Well, the sound of his voice, anyway.”

“I was fifteen,” Iruka says quickly. “I was excitable!”

“You're still excitable.” The humor drains from him as Tenzō sighs. “We’re going to have to talk to the Fifth about this. Iruka and I weren't quiet.”

Iruka glances at a hole in Kakashi’s bedroom wall about the length and width of Kakashi’s body and coughs, and Kakashi thinks longingly back to a time when training Naruto was his greatest challenge.

⁂

Tsunade looks at the three of them with an expression that says she wants the solution to this to be punching something- and if it isn't, she might punch something anyway.

“Let me get this straight,” she says, picking her words carefully. “A member of the ANBU, one of Konoha’s best shinobi, attacked Iruka because he noticed something was off about Kakashi and assumed he was an enemy posing as Kakashi and only realized his mistake because one of Kakashi’s dogs went and fetched Kakashi- who didn't get attacked as well because that man knows Iruka from his time with Hiruzen and was so confused that he didn't attack him. Is that right?”

All three of them nod.

Tenzō leans forward. “Hokage-sama, I feel I should mention that even under duress, Iruka didn’t give Kakashi up in any way.”

“Of course he didn’t.” Tsunade waves him off. “Even if he isn't especially gifted, Iruka is still a reliable shinobi- unlike some of the people in this room.”

Kakashi feels himself frown. People keep talking about Iruka like he doesn’t warrant consideration.

True, his fighting skills aren’t anything special, but he, like the other teachers, is critical to the village’s survival. His sound instruction eases the burden on the jounin. He's more than reliable- he's vital.

Kakashi clenches his fists but keeps his mouth shut. It’s Iruka’s mouth, but Kakashi isn’t Iruka. He can’t speak freely like Iruka does. He doesn’t raise his voice like Iruka does. He doesn’t get swept up in his emotions like Iruka does.

An elbow in his ribs jolts him out of his thoughts.

Iruka is giving him a significant look, and Kakashi makes himself unclench his fists.

Tsunade, who’d been focusing on Tenzō, looks over at them sharply. “Is there a problem?”

“No, Hokage-sama,” Iruka says. “I think Kakashi may have eaten something that doesn’t agree with my body.”

Tsunade raises her brows at him. “How fortunate that he’s in a meeting with a medical-nin.”

Iruka shakes his head, already reaching into one of the pockets of his flak jacket- originally the one Kakashi is wearing- and pulling out the package of large, brightly colored pills Kakashi has been pondering since he noticed Iruka has an identical package in every jacket. He shakes one out into his hand; it's a lurid shade of orange. “Thank you, Hokage-sama, but there's no need for that. He just needs one of these.”

Kakashi takes the pill dubiously. He’s glad for the distraction, but getting something this big down without anything to drink is going to be tricky.

“It’s chewable,” Iruka explains before Kakashi tries to swallow it while. “Taijutsu training after lunch can’t always be avoided, and some of my students haven't learned how to swallow pills.”

Tsunade studies them for a moment before turning her attention back to Tenzō.

Kakashi pops the pill into his mouth and chews thoughtfully.

Iruka hasn't returned the package to its pocket. What is he waiting for? Was he only willing to touch Kakashi for the sake of preventing a hokage-shaped fistfight? Was touching his own body with someone else’s hand too strange?

There’s no way to know; Iruka’s body keeps his secrets.

⁂

They're standing outside the tower, Tenzō admonished and returned to his regular duties.

“So, are you going to tell me why you were behaving so strangely?” Iruka asks. He doesn't seem especially angry, but he's looking at Kakashi with a pointed expression Kakashi has felt himself make.

“I was being strange?”

Evasiveness doesn't suit Iruka’s voice. It doesn't disengage; like Iruka himself, his voice is warm.

Unhindered by the same constraints, Iruka easily says in Kakashi’s most uninterested voice, “I'm guess I should tell you I almost burned your apartment down last night.”

Iruka puts his hands on his hips.

Disentangling the idea of Iruka’s hands on Kakashi’s hips from Iruka’s hands being Kakashi's hands is going to be an interesting challenge for Kakashi’s subconscious.

“Your neighbor was very helpful. He came over as soon as he realized something was happening.”

“Did you start the fire intentionally?” Kakashi asks. He doesn't think Iruka would, but he can't be sure.

Iruka sighs. “I didn't. We managed to put the fire out before it did any permanent damage, but you'll have to let me know how much new curtains will cost.”

Without the bluster, he looks as tired as Kakashi feels.

“Hey.”

Iruka looks over at him. “What?”

“Let's pick up some breakfast. I'll pay,” he adds.

“With whose wallet?”

“Mine, of course.”

“That didn't clarify anything,” Iruka says, eyes narrowed, “but I haven't eaten yet. I may as well.”

⁂

On their way to Iruka’s apartment, a man in short, neon patterned shorts comes running up to them, one arm raised and waving.

“Iru-chi!” he says brightly, taking Kakashi’s hands in his without preamble. “How are you?”

Over the man’s shoulder, Iruka makes an apologetic face.

“I’m good,” Kakashi says haltingly. “How are you?”

“Oh, you know me. I'm always happy if I’m on my feet! Or getting sweaty.”

He winks.

“Hello,” Iruka says.

The man looks between them before frowning at Kakashi. “You aren't going to introduce us, Iru-chi? Are you feeling unwell? Usually you're much more polite.”

“Noritaka-san, right?” Iruka asks, saving Kakashi from having to think of something when his brain is still processing those shorts.

And the wink.

The man- Noritaka- looks over at Iruka with wide eyes.

“Iru-chin mentioned me to you?”

“He has.” Iruka is doing an admirable job of speaking like Kakashi despite the shorts and the knowledge that that wink was meant for him. “You're a dedicated athlete. That's commendable.”

“Well, I do give everything one hundred percent. And I do mean everything.” He grins at Iruka. “Well, I better get going- as you know, I’m very invested in my craft. I've got another nine miles to go before I can go back to the gym and meet the others for our run.” He kisses the air next to Kakashi’s cheek. “Good to see you as always, Iru-chi, and it was very nice to meet you, Kakashi-san!”

He runs off without another word, leaving Kakashi and Iruka standing on the edge of the road.

Guy is enthusiastic and brightly colored, but that was…

Iruka clears his throat. “Noritaka really is an incredible athlete. He’s a bit exuberant, but he's a good friend. We were roommates for a while.”

“He reminds me a little of Guy,” Kakashi says, still feeling bowled over. “If Guy could flirt.”

That's what the kissing and pet name were, weren't they?

Has anyone flirted with Kakashi like that?

“It's not a bad comparison.” Iruka gives him another apologetic look. “Come on. We can talk more after we get breakfast.”

⁂

Iruka sits down heavily at the table. They've made it to Iruka’s apartment, and Kakashi is making omuraisu.

“Noritaka told me two weeks ago that he was taking a six-month break from Konoha to train in Suna for a multi-nation marathon,” Iruka explains. “I really had no idea he'd be here or I would have warned you.”

Kakashi cracks an egg on the edge of the pan. “It really isn't a problem. Although, I hadn't expected you to be friends with someone so forward.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Kakashi watches Iruka scratch his cheek.

“That's Noritaka for you. He makes as much trouble as I ever did. His personality is better suited to this kind, though. He enjoys shaking things up.”

“Ah, so he's a pot stirrer?”

“Not really. It's more like, he wants people to be honest, so he does things that throw them off-balance.”

That's definitely how Kakashi felt. “Thus the nickname?”

Iruka groans. “Thus the nickname. Even my parents never tried to be so cutesy with me. It doesn't work on me anymore, but being familiar like that with me does surprise other people.”

He wrinkles his nose in distaste, and Kakashi shakes his head as he whisks together the eggs, milk, and butter.

“Iru-chi, though,” Kakashi says, throwing in a little salt and pepper before pouring the mixture into the pan.

It did catch Kakashi off-guard to see someone come up to Iruka like that, but he'd been more thrown by Iruka’s lack of reaction.

“It's a lot, I know,” Iruka tells him with a sigh. “He called me Umi-chin at first. I think he thought using my family name would cancel out the cutesiness of the nickname.”

Kakashi blinks as he tilts the pan. “Iru-chi sounds better. I think.”

“They're both unbearable, which is why he enjoys using them, but you're right. Of the two, that one is less unpalatable.”

Iruka rubs his forehead.

Kakashi lifts the edges of the omelet.

“So he isn't actually hitting on you?” he asks, keeping his voice light.

“Hitting on me?” Iruka chuckles. “No, not at all. He and his husband have been happily married for years. Why?”

“Even for a friend, he was forward, wasn't he?”

Iruka lets that sit in the air between them until Kakashi flips the omelette over.

“If I had someone like that in my life, I would have mentioned them to you. There are a few exes I talk to sometimes, but most are civilians, to be honest. None of them act like Noritaka.”

“Of course.” Kakashi could kick himself. “I didn't mean to imply anything.”

“But?” Iruka prompts. “You don't ask questions for no reason, Kakashi-sensei.”

He isn't going to let this go.

“I suppose I thought, since you have a more stable life in the village, you might find it easier to go out with people. Civilians can have difficulty accepting our lives, but some can adapt. A schoolteacher would be more appealing to them, right?”

There's an odd note to Iruka’s voice when he mumbles, “It would be.”

“So there is someone?” Kakashi asks, heart sinking.

“No!” Iruka says too quickly. Clearing his throat, he lets out a breath and says, “It's nothing. Totally one-sided. We aren't- I doubt he pays me much mind. Our lives are very different.”

Kakashi transfers the omelette to Iruka’s bowl of rice and sets it on the table before he turns around and gets to work on his own.

“I'm sorry to hear that,” he says awkwardly. “Is it anyone I know? I could nudge him, if you'd like.”

_ Why am I offering to do this? _

“You probably do,” Iruka says. He clears his throat. “Thank you for offering, but no. There's no need for anything like that.”

Kakashi flips his omelette. “You could always tell him, right?”

Iruka doesn't answer, and Kakashi starts to wonder if he did something wrong until he joins Iruka at the table and sees Iruka’s thoughtful expression.

“I could tell him, but he has enough on his plate. I don't want him to be uncomfortable with me.” Iruka smiles. It's forced, but not as much as it could be. “Things are fine as they are. I’ll move on eventually, and for now, I don't really mind. It's kind of nice to know this thing still works, you know?”

He taps his chest over his heart, clearly embarrassed, and Kakashi feels a pang of annoyance at the man Iruka is making that face for.

When he looks down at his plate, Kakashi finds he isn't hungry anymore.

⁂

Later, during practice at the Academy, Iruka easily plucks a stray kunai out of the air as it flies toward him. He doesn't even look up from the shoe he's tying.

To the class, it's an amazing feat. Exactly what a jounin can do.

Kakashi sees what they don't, the flip side of doing what a jounin can. There's a moment where Iruka isn't making the choice and Kakashi’s body instinctively moves to grab a kunai to retaliate.

Iruka stops the motion before the students can notice, but it doesn't escape Kakashi, who'd seen his body tense before the kid who threw the kunai even let go.

Kakashi, who’d been helping a different student adjust her grip, had felt a sharp, reflexive pull on Iruka’s body he always feels, this time toward Iruka and the kunai. He's getting a better picture of it, though, and if he's right, Iruka must have spent a long time teaching his body to do this.

If he's right, then the scars he feels when he showers make a different kind of sense.

The longer Kakashi watches Iruka’s own different behavior in Kakashi’s body, the more inclined he is to give weight to a larger theory he's been nursing.

⁂

Tsunade was just taking a swipe at him when she asked if Kakashi was having trouble with Iruka’s body.

She wasn't wrong, though. Even keeping his eyes up and his hands off, Kakashi can't escape whose body he's in.

He's seen more of Iruka than he meant to, and even if he's ashamed of it, he can't stop thinking about it.

As if to punish him further, Iruka’s body only reacts to the direction of Kakashi’s thoughts. It isn't concerned with the strangeness of being turned on by itself like Kakashi is about wanting to kiss Iruka when he'd be kissing himself.

He doesn't talk to Iruka about it. Even trying to imagine a conversation like that is mortifying.

_ Hey, Iruka, do you mind if I use the lube in that box you hid? It won't mean anything. I’m just not used to being turned on like this for so long. You understand, right? _

Chewing gravel sounds more appealing, and that keeps Kakashi safe for a while. If he concentrates on the reality of how that would feel, he’ll stop thinking about how sensitive Iruka’s body is.

Until a thought bubbles up during one of the slower lessons.

What if Iruka is feeling the same way?

What if Kakashi’s body is doing the same thing to him that Iruka’s is doing to Kakashi?

Kakashi watches Iruka carefully for a few minutes as Iruka continues his lecture, but nothing suggests Iruka is feeling anything other than tired.

Maybe he's just so involved in teaching, he doesn't notice? But he does when he isn't here?

Casting a look around, Kakashi can believe it. Other than the desk and possibly the potential of being caught by another teacher who stayed late, this really is the place in the village he'd want to have sex that isn't the Forest of Death or run by Morino Ibiki.

One of the students, the girl on the end of the table next to the Third’s grandson, is going to get into it with the boy behind her any moment now.

Iruka’s back is to the class, but Kakashi can tell he's keeping an eye on them.

It would be weird, Kakashi decides. Getting off in someone else’s body would be weird. Using his hand, which isn't his hand, to touch himself, but not really himself, except it is- would it mean anything to his body that someone else is touching it, even though it would feel like it does when he's alone?

Iruka might be more inclined to give Kakashi a chance if he knew he'd like having sex with Kakashi. Even if it only felt like getting off alone, he'd still know Kakashi’s body, and he'd know Kakashi knows his.

They both have a head start. Who wouldn't like that?

Kakashi is a genius; he could learn the rest of what Iruka likes quickly.

They wouldn't even be having sex. They'd agree that it's okay, and they'd do everything on their own.

Unless Iruka agreed that this is difficult but thought it would be better if they only touched their own bodies?

Iruka would be touching himself, sure, but-

His thoughts shatter as, without looking away from the board, Iruka calls out, “Harada-kun, if you throw anything else at your classmate, I’m not going to discipline her when she turns around and hits you.”

Kakashi watches, amused despite himself, as the boy retracts his arm, slipping the would-be projectile back into his sleeve.

Moegi sighs.

Iruka resumes his lecture.

Try as he might, Kakashi can't recapture the feeling he had before Harada interrupted his daydream.

Iruka would never agree to any of that. 

It's already been weeks of cold showers and not reading Icha Icha for Kakashi, and his future doesn't seem to hold anything else.

⁂

Unlike Kakashi, Iruka does have Icha Icha. He pulls it out periodically, his face as blank as Kakashi keeps it as he reads through it.

And he does read it. Kakashi has watched his face start to turn pink above the mask every so often before Iruka slips the book back into his kunai bag or closes it for a while.

The mystery of what parts he's blushing about plagues Kakashi.

At least Iruka’s rent, the bill for which Kakashi got and handed to him to look over, doesn't doesn't include water use.

⁂

Iruka's body starts to adjust to the constant cold.

Kakashi starts to worry about what he can do if the shower stops being enough.


	4. Chapter 4

Weeks pass without any progress. Shizune occasionally visits Kakashi with updates under the guise of telling him about Sakura’s progress, though she does tell him about that as well- Sakura has finally found a place, and neither Sasuke nor Naruto’s deeper well of chakra could help them keep up with her. She may even surpass Tsunade.

Kakashi happens to be walking back to Iruka’s apartment as a training dummy goes sailing through the air. It lands with a crash that echoes.

Sakura’s apology echoes as well.

_ And so the weakest student becomes the most dangerous,  _ Kakashi thinks.

It's an interesting quirk of the universe that Sakura is finally finding her body’s true potential as her teachers’ are confusing again.

They're surviving, but things are far from ideal.

Kakashi readjusts to having both eyes faster than Iruka adjusts to having only one.

Iruka chafes at his isolation. Kakashi finds he doesn't hate being stopped by eager former students who want to see how their teacher is. It's uncomfortable, but they smile at him when he tells them he's proud of their progress.

Co-teaching is difficult. It's clear the children aren't learning as well as they would be with Iruka alone. Kakashi could go home- he should go home. Tsunade insists on keeping them together, though, just in case they do switch back.

While they wait for that dimmer and dimmer ray of hope to materialize, Kakashi does his best to mimic Iruka’s easy comfort with the children, but they can sense his unease.

If he were himself, he'd be okay, but Iruka’s shifting moods are difficult to imitate.

The students know he isn't Iruka; they don't have the experience to make sense of the suspicious feeling they have, but they aren't as casual with Kakashi.

They like him when he's himself. He just isn't good at being Iruka.

⁂

Iruka, to Kakashi’s relief, feels the same way.

“Tenzō isn't the only person with suspicions,” he tells Kakashi over dinner. “No one else has committed to testing me, but I know they can tell something is off. It's probably the slouch.”

He gives Kakashi a dirty look, and Kakashi feels another wave of wanting to kiss Iruka and queasiness at the idea of kissing himself.

The sooner Kakashi gets back to his body, the better.

⁂

Sometimes, Kakashi wakes from nightmares of seeing people doesn't know dying in front of him and knows in his gut that they were Iruka’s parents.

He hopes Iruka doesn't have his nightmares, but he knows the world isn't that kind.

They don't talk about losing sleep to each other’s grief. What is there to say? Everyone misses someone. Everyone loses sleep. Pushing through is what shinobi do.

⁂

Two months after the switch, Kakashi and Iruka get stopped on the way home by an ANBU calling them to Tsunade’s office.

Shizune isn't there, but Inoichi is.

“We have an idea about what Naruto did,” Tsunade tells them.

Kakashi and Iruka trade looks. Iruka already looks hopeful. Kakashi can't get that far after the last test, which he can only assume Iruka doesn't know about, but he does feel some hope start to stir in his chest.

He’s ready to be back in his body.

“It seems he used a different seal than the one he told us he had,” Inoichi explains. “He didn't know he was telling us the wrong one, of course. He meant to use tiger, but as he fell, he used ram instead. Unfocused as he was, the chakra shouldn't have done anything, but he's Uzumaki Naruto, right? This is the least impossible thing he's done.”

He's right. Really, of the myriad possible outcomes, switching people’s bodies is probably one of the least cataclysmic.

Tsunade sighs. “He'd gone over what he'd thought he did so many times, he'd convinced himself he'd definitely used tiger. It took us so long to undo because we thought the failed reconstructions were due to misdirected chakra. We only figured it out because Inoichi noticed a different inconsistency between Naruto’s memory and Kakashi's.”

Inoichi gives Kakashi and Iruka a wry look. “By chance, I overheard Sakura complaining to Ino about Naruto’s attention being poor. Combined with the inconsistencies in your memories, it seemed wise to test the seals Naruto said he'd done.”

Iruka rubs his forehead. “That sounds like him.”

“Once we tried that, we were able to recreate what he did. It didn't last very long, but we did some things ahead of time to limit the strength of what he was doing.”

“So you found a way to reverse it?” Kakashi asks.

“Possibly,” Tsunade says, taking over. “Naruto used a lot of chakra to switch you two. We don't have many people who can match him, and trying to use the clean method we devised to release his work with weaker chakra doesn't work.”

“What does that mean for us?” Iruka asks. “Will this wear off on its own eventually?”

“Probably. We can't be sure how long it would take, though, and I need the Copy Nin back to work. The Academy will also be glad to have the ‘test’ conclude, I’m sure.”

“So, when are we going to test it?” Iruka asks. “Do we have to do anything ahead of time?”

Inoichi shakes his head. “We’re going over to another room in the Research Division building. There, Naruto is going to use the release technique we devised. He should be there already.”

Kakashi looks over at Iruka. “Ready?”

Iruka grins. “Ready.”

⁂

Naruto gives them a sheepish look when Iruka, Tsunade, Inoichi, and Kakashi join him in a room deep inside the building.

“Sorry about all this,” he says. He has a hand on the back of his head, which he ducks in embarrassment as they come to a stop in front of him.

“Make it up to me by buying the ramen next time,” Iruka tells him. “You should make the effort to apologize to everyone individually. You put them through a lot of trouble, you know.”

Naruto does as he's bid, dropping his hand before making a formal apology to each of them, then beams at Iruka. “I knew you'd understand, Sensei!”

Iruka crosses his arms. “You're also going to help me deep clean the classroom tomorrow, unless the hokage gives you a mission.”

Naruto looks over at Tsunade hopefully.

“Never get creative outside an actual fight again,” Tsunade says flatly. “Enjoy helping your teacher clean up.”

Kakashi winces in sympathy. He was going to help Iruka with that- seven year olds can be disgusting.

“Kakashi-sensei?” Naruto asks, frowning at him around Iruka. “Are you okay?”

“Hm? Oh, I'm fine,” Kakashi says, waving him off. “I'd like to sleep in my bed tonight, though. No offense, Iruka.”

“None taken.” Iruks sighs. “I'll miss your mattress.”

“If we can begin, gentlemen?” Tsunade says. “I want this headache to be over.”

“Over here, please,” Inoichi says, gesturing for Kakashi and Iruka to follow him over to the far wall and stand a few feet apart, facing each other.

Once they're in place, he returns to Tsunade’s side.

“Naruto, if you could stand in the center of the room.”

Already grinning, Naruto skips toward Iruka and Kakashi until Inoichi tells him to stop.

“Everybody ready?” Inoichi asks.

Iruka and Kakashi nod.

Naruto punches the air with one hand. “You bet!”

“Don’t be so pleased with yourself when this is your fault in the first place,” Tsunade grumbles.

Naruto whines, spirits dampened momentarily.

“I didn't enjoy being you, but I’ve enjoyed your company, Kakashi,” Iruka says warmly.

He smiles at Kakashi from behind the mask one last time.

“Remember what you practiced,” Inoichi tells Naruto. “A lot of chakra but only a little at a time.”

“Like threading a glass needle,” Naruto replies, clearly parroting someone else’s metaphor. “Can we do it now?”

Kakashi smiles back at Iruka. “I enjoyed your company, too. Repairing my apartment might match the cost of the liquor of yours I drank.”

Iruka laughs, and Kakashi’s chest tightens at the thought of hearing Iruka laugh with his own voice again.

“Now, Naruto,” Inoichi says.

Naruto shouts an affirmative.

A second later, something slams into Kakashi, sending him flying.

He hears Tsunade shout, “That isn't gentle!” before he slams into the wall and everything goes dark.

⁂

When he comes to, Kakashi is lying on his back in a hospital bed.

Perched on the edge of the bed by his hip, Tsunade frowns at him. “Welcome back, kid. Your own student almost snapped your neck with a wall.”

Kakashi sighs.

Tsunade raises her brows at him, and Kakashi realizes the sigh sounded right.

Reaching up, he touches the bridge of his nose.

No scar.

He reaches farther up to where his head is lying flat against the pillow.

“No ponytail.”

Tsunade grins. “He wasn't as gentle as we'd wanted him to be, but Naruto did get the job done.” She pats Kakashi’s thigh. “You can go in half an hour. Please take your dogs with you. Tenzō said two of them were making a fuss in your apartments, so they're waiting outside with Tonton.”

Kakashi nods. “Thank you.”

“You'll change your tune when you see all the missions you're going to be taking, starting tomorrow.”

She only smiles harder at the face he makes. “Iruka woke up earlier but fell back asleep, probably because he hit the wall harder than you did and had to be healed more. He'll be out of here by tomorrow, though.”

Kakashi freezes mid-breath. 

Tsunade frowns at him. “You're going to need a better response than that. You, Iruka, Shizune, Tenzō, Inoichi, and I know why you two have been spending so much time together, but the rumor mill has been working overtime about the schoolteacher and his genius boyfriend.” She shakes her head. “Shizune says Guy has been waiting loudly and impatiently for you to tell him that you're in love.”

Groaning, Kakashi pushes aside all the ways that conversation is going to go. “I understand.”

“I told everyone you weren't to be bothered until tomorrow. But that's all the help you'll get from me. I have better things to do.”

“Thank you,” he says again, meaning it more than he's ready to admit.

“It comes with the job- as you'll find out soon enough. After all, you'll be on my end of things before you know it.”

Horror washes over Kakashi, but Tsunade sweeps out of the room before he can object.

⁂

Tonton oinks when Kakashi emerges from the hospital.

“Thanks for watching them,” he says, holding the door open so she can rejoin Shizune.

Bull sits up quickly. Pakkun, carefully balanced on Bull’s head as he is, nearly slips off but manages to stay on his perch.

“You're you again,” he says. His eyes are shining in the bright afternoon light.

Bull rumbles questioningly.

“Yeah, I’m all me again,” Kakashi tells him, kneeling down to pet them. He'll summon the rest of the pack in a bit so they can all see for themselves that he's back to being himself. “In fact, I can go home right now. Are you guys ready?”

He gets two enthusiastic barks.

⁂

When they get to his apartment, Kakashi immediately summons the rest of the pack. He sits down so they can mill around him, licking his face and rubbing against him as they all try to be petted at once.

“Things with Iruka went well?” Kakashi asks Pakkun as the pack settles down.

Pakkun laughs, amused by some private joke. “Yeah, he was good. He figured out the right way to scratch my back faster than you did.” His voice softens as he says it; Kakashi first met Pakkun so long ago, he doesn't remember a time without him. Of course it took him longer. “It's a shame the rumors aren't true about the two of you two.”

Kakashi stiffens. “Pakkun-”

“He likes us and he likes you. You like him, too. Seems like a good match to me.” With an almost human shrug, Pakkun walks away. “You really should sleep now, you know.”

He's heading for Kakashi’s bedroom, and with the rest of the pack shifting off him, Kakashi gets up and follows him.

⁂

It's strange to know Iruka was here for weeks when everything still smells more like Kakashi.

Logically, it makes sense; Iruka wasn't really here except for the few hours when Kakashi came by.

After all the time Kakashi spent in Iruka’s apartment, surrounded by Iruka’s slowly fading scent even Iruka’s lesser sense of smell could find, his own apartment smells almost sterile.

Kakashi has never wanted to be somewhere with stronger smells, but his home smells almost empty.

Maybe, if Kakashi went back with his own nose, he'd feel different about Iruka’s apartment, but he doesn't think he would.

When they ran into each other in the past, he hadn't objected to Iruka coming close. Iruka always smells nice; he keeps himself clean and human, and now Kakashi knows that's a deliberate choice.

Despite not using anything fancy, Iruka’s hair had been soft. It might not even snag on Kakashi's callused fingers.

From the pile of dogs sleeping on and around Kakashi, Pakkun’s voice floats up.

“You shouldn't be scared of being happy.”

“I'm not.”

“You are. If you weren't, you wouldn't have run out of the hospital like that. You would have waited for him to wake up.”

“And leave you guys out there?” Kakashi asks.

Pakkun’s paws dig into Kakashi’s body as he makes his way up to sit on Kakashi’s chest. “We would have understood. You'd be happier with him. We want that for you. We’d be okay if you were finding happiness.”

Uncomfortable, Kakashi strokes the dogs closest to him. Guruko doesn't react, too deeply asleep; Urushi shifts, finding a better position under Kakashi’s arm.

Curled up by Kakashi’s head, Akino paws at his shoulder.

“See?” Pakkun asks.

“It's more complicated than you're making it sound.”

“It's less complicated than you're telling yourself it is.”

Kakashi shakes his head.

Shiba, whose head is resting on Kakashi’s belly, sighs.

“I'm not scared,” Kakashi argues. Bisuke and Ūhei huff, which he ignores. “Iruka is already in love with someone else. Even if it would work out, I’m not the person he wanted to wake up to.”

Pakkun sighs. “That's what Bull told us you'd say.”

Bull himself is lying against one of Kakashi’s legs with his head resting heavily on Kakashi’s hip. Like Bisuke and Ūhei, he huffs. 

Pakkun gets up and walks around on Kakashi’s chest. His small paws find every possible sensitive spot. “Fine. Hide from Iruka. It's a bad decision, but it's yours to make.”

He flops down again, apparently done trying to help.

Akino paws at Kakashi’s shoulder again, seconding Pakkun's disappointment.

Kakashi doesn't acknowledge that beyond stroking Akino’s back as he reaches over and turns off the light.

⁂

The pack is gone when he wakes up.

He'd be sorry about that, but he'd been dreaming about Iruka before he woke. Kakashi can't face them when he's hard.

For the first time in too long, Kakashi gets up, walks to the shower, turns it on, and, by the time he's stripped down, steps into a hot shower.

He hadn't let himself dwell on the misery of exclusively taking cold showers, but as the water hits his shoulders, he feels every frigid shower he took as Iruka.

Finally returned to his own skin, Kakashi doesn't have to keep his hands to himself anymore.

He washes his hair first, just to be done with it, then grabs the soap and works it over his body.

By the time he leans forward against the wall, the water mostly hitting his back, he almost feels like everything that happened was also a dream.

When he takes himself in hand, he has to bite his cheek.

It hasn't been that long, but even that light touch feels like it could be enough.

Like this, he could just let his mind drift. He just needs to get off.

He lets himself think about Iruka.

Iruka, who lived and showered in Kakashi’s apartment for weeks and weeks, and Kakashi only got to sit with him for a few hours of it.

Squeezing himself harder, Kakashi lets his mind drift.

He could fuck Iruka just the way he needs it. Even if he doesn't have a head start, he can still get it right.

Iruka could tell him what he likes.

He's probably pushy in bed; he must be. Under all that politeness, there's a man who knows what he likes and what he doesn't.

He'd like Kakashi. If Iruka let Kakashi try, he'd like him.

Kakashi shifts his weight. His legs are growing as unsteady as his breathing; they shake harder and threaten to give out the longer Kakashi takes as he leans against the shower wall.

Pushy and noisy. If Kakashi did what Iruka liked, Iruka might shout his name. The neighbors would hear, and they'd know Kakashi is what Iruka wants.

Or maybe he'd stay quiet. He might just cling to Kakashi, saying Kakashi's name and tell him how good it is. He might make noises only Kakashi can hear.

Kakashi has never been so desperate to come before, but he wants Iruka more than he's ever wanted anyone else.

He can almost hear Iruka saying his name now; if he closes his eyes, he can feel Iruka’s body between Kakashi’s and the wall.

There's no shoulder or neck to kiss. There's no voice telling Kakashi how much Iruka likes this.

But if Kakashi lets that go, the rest is almost real.

Squeezing his eyes shut tighter, Kakashi imagines Iruka telling him he's close, breathy and needy and so close he's shaking, too.

The sound of the shower can't cover the sound of how hard Kakashi is breathing.

He bites his cheek as Iruka praises him. Even with the shower still hitting him with hot water, Kakashi’s face grows hotter with the promises he can almost convince himself Iruka is making him.

Iruka’s voice is unsteady as tells Kakashi this is it. He barely remembers the man he said he'd get over, and he doesn't care. He's going to keep Kakashi instead; he's going to love Kakashi instead.

Even if Kakashi is hard to love, Iruka is going to stay and look after him.

Kakashi is already his, and as hard as he's trying to keep quiet, Kakashi can't help but gasp, “Iru-”

Everything goes black.

⁂

Kakashi blinks against the familiar hospital lights. His eyes struggle to bring anything l into focus, though.

He's still trying to make sense of what happened when he realizes there's someone at the foot of the bed.

“Did I fall?” Kakashi rasps.

“Fall?” Shizune’s voice asks. “No.”

“Then why am I here?”

He hears the sharp taps of her shoes on the hard hospital floor as she comes around the left side of the bed.

She and the room come back into focus as he turns to track her.

He doesn't need to do that, though. He could already see her.

He knows what happened before she says anything.

“The hokage isn't going to like this,” he sighs.

⁂

The hokage’s office is the site of yet another gathering and yet another argument.

Tsunade might do what everyone else has failed to do and kill Naruto.

Iruka is unnaturally still as Tsunade points at Naruto.

“Gently!” she shouts. “How many times did we tell you that the only way to do it correctly was to do it  _ gently!” _

“I was trying to!” Naruto protests just as loudly. “I don't use chakra that way, though, and I was nervous! It’s not my fault I don't use glass needles!”

“That was a metaphor, not a literal instruction, you obnoxious little-”

Inoichi clears his throat from the doorway, and Tsunade cuts herself off mid-sentence.

“Tell me it's good news.”

“It is.”

“Finally!” Tsunade turns away from Naruto. “How do we fix it?”

“Well,” Inoichi says, briefly looking over at Kakashi and Iruka, “since Naruto did undo the majority of what he'd done initially, we just need to go in and weed out the remaining bits of chakra that are trying to keep the two of them tied together.”

Naruto groans. “Another metaphor?”

“You're on very thin ice right now, Naruto,” Tsunade snaps. “Who do we need to bring in for this, Inoichi?”

“It would be best if a medical-nin did it since it will require a great amount of fine control. A second would be a good idea- one to do the deep weeding and one to ensure the chakra is truly weeded at the root. Another pair wouldn't hurt. It's going to be a long, arduous task for both people.”

He smiles wryly, no doubt thinking that asking the boy whose approach to most things is to throw himself at them headfirst wasn't a good idea.

Tsunade taps her hip.

“I want this done correctly. I'd like to bring Sakura in for the experience, but she's too green. She's never done an extraction, let alone one as complicated as this.”

“You're going to do this alone?” Inoichi asks. “Hokage-sama, I have to protest-”

“Who said anything about doing it alone?” Raising her voice, Tsunade shouts, “Shizune!”

The door opens a crack, and Shizune pokes her head in. “Yes, Hokage-sama?”

“Time to get off the bench! You and I are going to fix this-” Tsunade waves a hand at Kakashi and Iruka “-right now.”

Shizune nods sharply. “Understood!”

Turning to Iruka and Kakashi, Tsunade rests her hands on her hips. “Get comfortable, gentlemen. This is going to take a while.”

⁂

Iruka and Kakashi lie down on the floor of the hokage’s office in uncomfortable silence. There aren't any smiles from Iruka this time.

He doesn't even look Kakashi in the eyes.

⁂

At around hour three, Kakashi starts to feel blurry.

“Your mind is trying to keep the chakra it knows,” Shizune explains, voice strained. “Until we fully separate the two of you, that will continue to happen. You'll have to bear with it, I’m afraid.”

“Are you feeling that way, too, Iruka?” Tsunade asks.

“I am.”

“Absolutely no mistakes, then. I don't know how to fix damaged minds.”

The mood, which had already been low, drops even lower.

⁂

The whole process takes seven hours.

Kakashi knows it's over because he blacks out.

⁂

He's still lying on the floor when he wakes up.

Tsunade glares at him from above. “Which one are you?”

“Kakashi,” he rasps.

“Good! Stay that way this time.”

He nods, and she moves away.

“Iruka already woke up and left,” she continues. “If I didn't know better, I'd think the two of you really are a couple doing a bad job of keeping it quiet.”

Kakashi sits up slowly. “It's good that you know better, then, isn't it?”

Tsunade fishes a bottle of sake out of a drawer. “I suppose it is. Now get out. I have a headache, and Shizune is trying to sleep.”

Kakashi gets to his feet quickly. He spots Shizune lying on the floor by Tsunade’s desk, a pillow under her head and Tsunade’s haori over her shoulders.

⁂

As he walks down the last stairs from Hokage Tower, Kakashi weighs whether he wants to go directly home or pick up dinner.

The idea of cooking for himself is unappealing, so he's moving onto deciding where to eat when he spots Iruka standing a few yards away. 

“Could we talk?” Iruka asks. He's still holding himself stiffly. “Somewhere private.”

Despite wanting to do anything else, Kakashi nods. “Will my apartment do?”

Iruka nods. “Could we do it now?”

“Sure.”

None of the tension in Iruka’s body eases, and he doesn't look over even once as they walk to Kakashi’s apartment. 

⁂

When they get inside, Iruka looks even more tense.

Pushing aside his creeping suspicion that he knows what this is about, Kakashi asks, “Do you want something to-”

Iruka sits down hard a few feet ahead of Kakashi. He puts his hands on his bent legs and bows his head.

“I’m very sorry, Kakashi-san!” he says quickly. “I don't know why it happened. I'd just woken up in the hospital a few moments earlier. Shizune was there; she can confirm that I didn't do anything.”

“Why would I-”

Iruka doesn't stop. “The next thing I knew, I was back in your body.” His fingers flex. “You were in the shower and I- I swear I didn't mean to!”

“Okay!” Kakashi says over him. “I believe you! That was me, okay? I know it was me.” He tries to meet Iruka’s eyes, but Iruka’s head is firmly bowed. “You didn't have to do all this. You didn't do anything wrong.”

“Even so-”

He's going to keep focusing on this until something makes him stop.

Kakashi takes a breath and says, “I saw you naked.”

Iruka’s head shoots up. “You what?”

“I was hungover and accidentally dropped your towel. I was in front of the mirror, so when it fell, I saw…” Kakashi waves at his body. “...everything.”

“You-” Iruka’s face turns bright red. “Is that why you were acting so strange?”

Kakashi nods; his own face feels hot. “It didn't seem right not to tell you, but I couldn't make myself. What if you'd hated me, you know?”

Despite his deepening blush, Iruka’s expression relaxes. “I was afraid I'd done something embarrassing when we were drinking.”

“If you did, I don't remember it.” Kakashi rubs the back of his neck. “Would you mind standing up again? If anyone’s going to do that, it should be me.”

He watches Iruka swallow.

That one little action rips apart every bit of hope Kakashi had had that Iruka arrived after the worst part.

“Well, I guess we’re both doing this.”

He joins Iruka on the floor, legs crossed, but looks at him steadily. “I didn't want us to switch places right then either.”

Still blushing, Iruka says, “I figured you didn't.”

“At least there's that, right?”

Iruka nods, and if Kakashi were a coward, he'd let the conversation stop here.

“I’m sorry you found out like that,” Kakashi tells him. “If you could pretend you didn't hear anything, I’d appreciate it. If you can't, I won't bother you with it. I kept it to myself for this long, right?”

“Found out?” Iruka frowns at him. “I didn't hear anything. You were just- Oh.” His eyes go wide. “That ‘ka’ was my name.”

Kakashi watches Iruka evenly. “It was.”

“So you were- And I was-”

“Like I said, I won't bother you about it. You want someone else.”

Iruka glances at his lap, then up at Kakashi. “If we’re airing all our confessions, I have another.”

_ Don't. _

“I don't want someone else.”

“Of course you do,” Kakashi argues. “You already said you do.”

“No, I said there's someone I was interested in. I meant you.”

Kakashi’s lungs freeze. How is he supposed to want to stay alone when he could have Iruka?

“You want me?” he asks, hoping for Iruka to say no and hoping he will say yes.

Iruka nods.

“So you don't hate that I was-”

“I don't!” Iruka says quickly. He ducks his head. “I'd wished it hadn't hadn't happened, and I felt really guilty. Even knowing you aren't upset, I still wish it hadn't happened. But if I hadn't interrupted like that… No, I don't hate it.”

He does look guilty, and Kakashi can't help but feel warmed by the depth of Iruka’s feelings.

Kakashi can pull away. Disengaging from pain is necessary for any shinobi’s survival, and if nothing else, Kakashi is a shinobi who survives.

Iruka couldn't even make himself disengage from Naruto.

But he does endure, more than he's given credit for.

He’s enduring right now.

“Don't you have anything to say?” Iruka asks, prickling at Kakashi’s silence.

He isn't the type to leave. He caught a series of kunai bodily and threw himself in front of a fūma shuriken. He doesn't know how to die, and he's too stubborn to learn.

Kakashi won't say any of that, but someday, he might.

Kakashi smiles at Iruka. “Sorry, sorry. I was thinking that I’m glad it happened.”

“Why?”

“Because if it hadn't, I would be waiting for you to get over that man you mentioned being hung up on. And that would be bad for me, right?”

Iruka’s eyes widen. “You were going to wait?”

“What else could I do? There's no way you'd consider going out with me when you wanted someone else.” Kakashi shrugs. “I'm a lazy man, Iruka. At best, trying to convince you to love me instead of someone else would be a waste of effort.”

“I guess that's true.”

He frowns as if his stubbornness is a revelation.

Taking a chance, Kakashi lays his hand over Iruka’s.

Iruka looks down at it, then up at Kakashi. He turns his hand over and threads his fingers through Kakashi's.

“This isn't something I've done much,” he says quietly. “I wasn't lying when I said I don't have time to date. That won't change any time soon.”

“You have plenty of time; you just need to date someone smart. I want to go out with you, so I'll make it work.”

“What happened to being lazy?”

Not quite a tease- Iruka is testing the waters before he commits to them.

“I’m not so lazy I let others do all the work. Besides,” Kakashi says, “there are plenty of opportunities to be with you. For example, I can spend time with you if we walk back from the school together. See? Even if that's all, it's still time together. Our problem wouldn't be my laziness- it would be my absence. Can you keep wanting me when I get sent out of Konoha so often?”

Iruka’s mouth quirks in a crooked smile. “I can. Can you keep wanting me when I have to stay behind?”

Kakashi squeezes his hand. “I can.”

Finally, Iruka smiles. “Are you hungry?”

“I could eat.”

“Then let's eat.”

He says that, but he doesn't try to get up. He stays exactly where he is, holding Kakashi’s hand, until Kakashi gets up.

The wonder will wear off eventually and Iruka will go back to being himself, but this side of him, quiet and concerned with keeping hold of Kakashi's hand, isn't bad.

Not bad at all.


	5. Chapter 5

It's been more than three months since Kakashi and Iruka returned to their bodies. Kakashi was back to running missions after one day off and completed his first solo mission before the first week was over. He’s barely had more than an hour or two off since, but even an hour is long enough to find Iruka and kiss him.

Kakashi is coming back from his most recent one, pleased that he's back in time to walk Iruka home. The mission hadn't been especially difficult, but he'd only had a few moments between starting it and his return from the one before it. He hadn't been able to see Iruka, but Shizune had offered to bring a message to him for Kakashi.

He'd written it down, folded it up, and told himself Shizune wouldn't peek. He's been waiting impatiently to get home and find out Iruka’s reaction ever since.

Class is just letting out as Kakashi gets close. A flood of children flies out, and impatient as he is, he stops to let them pass.

Iruka won't give him a real welcome home kiss if his students are around, anyway.

The crowd has dispersed enough for him to resume his course when a voice calls, “Kakashi-sensei!”

Reflexively, Kakashi looks around for an enemy. None materializes, and he searches the students for someone who could be an adult masquerading as a child.

He doesn't find anyone like that. He does find a girl running at him full-tilt, though, and Kakashi quickly switches gears from fighting to child friendly.

She stops just in time to avoid slamming into him.

He remembers her impossible orange pigtails from teaching with Iruka.

“Iruka-sensei said you'd finished your mission in the school,” she says, suddenly shy. “We didn't get to say goodbye to you.”

She jerks her head over her shoulder, and Kakashi follows the gesture to a group of students waiting by the Academy.

It's Iruka’s entire class.

“Wait here, just for a minute!” Moegi orders. She runs back to her classmates without waiting for him to answer.

“Ready?” she asks them.

A chorus of yeses answers her.

Thirty children square their shoulders, then bow, and thirty voices say, “Thank you, Kakashi-sensei!”

Kakashi swallows, throat dry.

“Ah, you didn't have to do all that,” he says. “I liked being your teacher, anyway.”

They beam at him, pleased with themselves in a way that reminds Kakashi of Naruto when he first came into Kakashi’s care, before dispersing on their own.

Floored, Kakashi watches them go.

“They insisted on practicing that every day after you left,” Iruka says, materializing in the doorway. He sounds pleased. “Come on. I could use your help.”

Kakashi nods mechanically.

He follows Iruka to Iruka’s classroom. He looks around for a sign of what Iruka needs him to do but doesn't see anything.

“What do you-”

Iruka smiles and tugs Kakashi forward with a hand on his flak jacket. “You're cute,” he says as if that's an explanation. “I couldn't wait until we got back. Especially since I read that note you sent with Shizune.”

He kisses Kakashi softly- a kiss for doing something cute.

He steps back without more than a quick brush of Kakashi’s cheek, and Kakashi clears his throat.

“I'm back.”

Iruka chuckles. “Welcome home.” He casts a look over Kakashi. “You look good.”

He's obviously talking about Kakashi not being injured from his mission, but the once-over still makes Kakashi’s heart beat faster.

“You said you needed something, right?” Kakashi asks.

“Hm? Oh, that was it.” Iruka blushes, but he smiles through it.

It doesn't help Kakashi’s pounding heart.

“You don't have to set anything up?”

“No, tomorrow is going to be mostly note taking. We can leave now if you'd like to.”

He grins as Kakashi nods quickly. “My place or yours?”

“Mine,” Kakashi says. It's usually a toss-up of where they go, but Kakashi's got a feeling about why Iruka is giving him another once-over. If he's right, Kakashi’s bed is better.

“Yours it is.”

⁂

“You and I are different, aren't we?” Kakashi asks.

Iruka hums. He's kneeling over Kakashi’s lap, naked and breathing hard, one hand on Kakashi’s shoulder and one stroking him loosely, but he’ll be patient as long as Kakashi keeps his fingers where Iruka wants them.

“Is that meant to be profound?” Iruka pants. “I've missed you, idiot. That's enough, isn't it?”

Kakashi kisses Iruka’s neck, and Iruka sighs.

“If we weren't different, being in each other’s bodies wouldn't have been such a problem.”

Kakashi gives him a moment to consider what he said.

When Iruka realizes, he shoves Kakashi’s shoulder. He doesn't do it hard, just hard enough to convey that he understands the joke and thinks Kakashi is annoying.

“You're getting at something,” he says a moment later. “What is it?”

“Our reflexes don't work the same way. They-” Kakashi moves his hand, and Iruka arches his back, pushing into Kakashi’s fingers.

Kakashi has to stop just to look at him.

An accidental glance in the mirror hadn't prepared Kakashi for how much he likes looking at Iruka. He's compelling, a collection of perfect places for Kakashi to kiss and lay his head. Touching him feels like it should cost Kakashi something, but the only price Iruka charges is the right to touch Kakashi in return.

He’s fond of doing that. Kissing Kakashi’s scarred eyebrow, nudging him out of the way with a hip, patting his ass- he absently pets anything Kakashi lays on his lap when Iruka is working.

Unremarkable as he seems next to people like Naruto and the Sannin and Kakashi himself, Iruka is still worth accounting for.

“You okay down there?” Iruka asks.

For someone who’s rocking his hips into Kakashi's hand, Iruka looks very pleased with himself.

“I hear things I don't recognize and my body gets ready to fight,” Kakashi says. He doesn't point out that Iruka knows Kakashi loves watching him. Iruka would do something cute, and Kakashi get distracted and forget what he's trying to say. “You hear them and you get ready to run. It's a difference in priorities,” he says quickly, cutting off a very real threat to get up and go if he's going to be insulted from Iruka. “My job is to stay and fight. Yours is to keep your students out of danger. It's better to try to escape than risk a fight when they're with you.”

Stroking his free hand up Iruka’s thigh, Kakashi kisses Iruka’s neck again. “I didn't realize that's what the difference was.”

He expects some kind of complaint, but Iruka only shifts and kisses Kakashi’s forehead.

“I'm glad you run,” Kakashi continues. “I want you to be there for the children when the dust clears.”

_I don't want to think about you dying the way I will. I want to die first this time._

“You're very thoughtful today,” Iruka says. He bumps their noses together. “It’s sweet, but is there any chance you could stop thinking about dying when you've got your fingers in my ass?”

“Ah.” The patience only lasts so long. “So you want me to take them out-”

He starts to, and Iruka grabs his wrist.

“Unless you actually want to stop, could you quit being a pain long enough to fuck me? I didn't let you talk me into not getting off until you came back so you could sit on _your_ ass and daydream about dying.” He sighs. "I'm here now, aren't I?"

Kakashi chokes on a laugh.

“You are. I want you to be with me for as long as possible.” Tilting his head up, Kakashi lets himself enjoy the way Iruka looks with his hair pulled up messily- he lets Kakashi run his fingers through it when they aren't doing much but complains about it getting in his face. “I'll think about this instead if you kiss me.”

Iruka kisses him.

“Did you really wait?” Kakashi asks.

“I told you I did, didn't I?” Iruka squints at him. He shifts self-consciously, though, and Kakashi reflexively moves his hand with him.

“God,” Iruka gasps, tipping forward.

Kakashi had thought Iruka would ignore the request. Kakashi has brought it up before. He said it by accident the last time they slept together- it's hard not to blurt things out when Iruka likes it so much when Kakashi talks to him.

Swallowing hard, Kakashi kisses him. 

“Hey, Iruka, can we-”

“Yeah,” Iruka says quietly. “How do you want to-”

“This is good,” Kakashi says quickly. “Just like this.”

Iruka nods. “I just need to-”

Kakashi closes his eyes for a moment as he takes his fingers out and lays both hands on Iruka’s thighs.

This is his. When he comes home, Iruka is still here, and he's waiting for Kakashi.

He opens his eyes when he feels Iruka shift closer. 

Iruka’s hand is warm as he strokes Kakashi’s chest, and Kakashi bites his cheek.

He can feel Iruka looking down at him.

Kakashi looks back.

“It's better when you aren't sad, right?” Iruka asks. He's grinning, and Kakashi grins back.

“So long as it's you, it's always better.”

Iruka's face softens, and he kisses Kakashi softly.

Kakashi picks up the bottle he dropped earlier and pours a bit into his palm.

Iruka starts to sink down, so Kakashi gives him a few quick strokes.

“Not helping,” Iruka complains. “You were gone for a while, remember? Give me a minute.”

He says that, but when Kakashi tries to pull his hand away, Iruka catches his wrist again. He doesn't say anything, just lays his forehead against Kakashi’s, and Kakashi strokes him slowly as Iruka settles on Kakashi’s lap and lets out a long breath.

“I remember how long I was gone. I had to miss you because I wasn't with you,” Kakashi tells him. His heart is racing, his own breath coming fast.

Iruka nods, their foreheads still pressed together. “I missed you, too.”

He shifts a little, getting his legs under himself better, and Kakashi groans.

He keeps himself still as Iruka finds the right way to hold himself.

It won't help, but Kakashi can't resist touching one of Iruka’s nipples.

“Still not helping."

“Oops.”

Kakashi pinches Iruka’s nipple, just to hear the sound he makes.

Iruka grabbing Kakashi’s shoulders is just a bonus.

His fingers are going to leave marks, which is another bonus.

“You're an ass.”

Lifting himself up tentatively, Iruka leans into his hands, balancing himself on Kakashi. It’s a good weight, and despite his complaint, he tilts his head to kiss Kakashi’s temple.

When he sinks back down, he makes a sound in the back of his throat.

Kakashi strokes him again.

Iruka doesn't say anything, just clutches Kakashi’s shoulders even harder.

It takes him a few more tries to get himself positioned the way he wants.

Kakashi keeps quiet, caught up in the expression on Iruka’s face as he gets balanced comfortably.

_He really did wait for me._

The thought makes Kakashi’s chest hurt.

He deliberately puts both hands on Iruka’s thighs. Iruka likes to take his time when Kakashi first comes home; he’ll be cranky if Kakashi makes him come too fast.

_Next time, I should ask for the opposite. I want to come back to him and hear everything he thought about. Would he do that for me?_

Iruka has finally found the way he wants it and isn't moving slowly anymore; he's looking at Kakashi like he wants to say something, though.

Unable to resist, Kakashi asks, “Thinking hard?”

He likes hearing Iruka talk, too.

Iruka looks down at him steadily. “I like how big you are.” He kisses Kakashi. “I really, really like it.”

Kakashi kisses him, and Iruka pants, “Do you know how hard it was not to do anything while you were gone? I had to go without seeing this face-” he lifts one hand and touches Kakashi’s chin “-and without feeling this-” he shimmies a little “-and I didn't even get to kiss you before you left.”

He kisses Kakashi again, and as good as it is like this, it isn't what Kakashi wants anymore.

“I was wrong earlier,” Kakashi says. “Can we change?”

Iruka blinks at him. “Yeah?”

Kakashi noses Iruka’s jaw, then gently tips them onto their sides.

He keeps rolling so Iruka is lying on his back, knees clenched around Kakashi’s hips, and Kakashi is braced on his hands.

“I missed you,” Kakashi says again. “I really want to make you come.”

_I really want to fuck you; I don't want to sit and watch you. I want you to come because I know how you like it._

Iruka cranes his neck for another kiss. “Then hurry up and fuck me. I've waited long enough for you, haven't I?”

Kakashi nods quickly.

Iruka smiles, and when Kakashi lowers himself onto his elbows to make kissing him easier, Iruka curls his arms under Kakashi’s arms, his hands coming up so he can hold onto Kakashi’s shoulders.

He lets his legs drop a moment later.

Kakashi pulls them back up. “You have, but try not to be so loud this time. My neighbors complained.”

Iruka pats the back of one of Kakashi’s shoulders. “I won't be making any noise at the rate you're going.”

Reaching down with one hand, Kakashi takes Iruka in hand again. Iruka breathes out softly, and Kakashi smiles to himself.

His landlady is going to yell at him again.

⁂

Iruka is dozing on Kakashi’s freshly made bed, sprawled out in Kakashi’s shirt and nothing else. He's got clothes in Kakashi’s apartment but seems disinclined to wear them. Kakashi can't find a reason to want him to.

Standing at the foot of the bed, Kakashi looks over Iruka.

Iruka’s legs are the most muscular part of his body. It's impossible to tell when he's fully clothed, but like this… There are three reasons someone in Iruka’s position needs to be a solid runner.

As Kakashi learned as co-teacher at the Academy, children are prone to getting into things and running off because they're bored. Iruka has to be able to catch them.

He has to be able to get his charges to safe zones, too. He has to be able to do all the things that get them there safely, like run ahead to clear the path, keep a steady pace with someone in his arms, run from the front to the back, and make detours to collect anyone left behind without slowing the others down.

Both of these, Kakashi already said.

Kakashi deliberately left out the third reason why Iruka’s reflex is to run.

He's trained himself to intercept danger. If he can't keep his students from finding it or get them away from it, he has to shield them from it.

The scar on his back from the fūma shuriken is the most impressive, but it's hardly unique. There are scars from the kunai he pushed Naruto away from. He has a hundred small scars from putting his life second.

“No looking at my ass yet,” Iruka says drowsily without opening his eyes. “We just showered.”

They showered almost an hour ago. Iruka smells clean again, and his damp hair is dark against one of Kakashi’s white towels. It's almost dry now. By the time he gets up, it will be fully dry and ready to go back up.

If Kakashi brushes it, Iruka will leave it down for a while. If Kakashi rubs his head, he might even fall asleep again.

He's everything Kakashi wants and a few things Kakashi doesn't.

Drawing a fortifying breath, Kakashi says, “You ate all my yoghurt while I was gone.”

“I bought half.”

“But you ate all of it.”

Rolling over, Iruka scowls at him. “Why are you ruining my nap for yoghurt?”

“I want to know how you're going to make up for this.”

“How do you want me to make up for it?” Iruka asks. He's wary, and rightfully so. He finished Kakashi’s milk once and didn't buy more, so Kakashi made him take Kakashi’s place in one of Guy’s more ridiculous challenges.

Iruka won by virtue of Naruto bursting in and making such a fuss about Iruka not being allowed to take his shirt off that Guy had ceded victory out of amusement.

“Don't look so worried,” Kakashi tells him. “I just want you to talk more next time.”

“Oh, is that all?” Iruka raises his brows at Kakashi. “About what? The weather?”

“You know that isn't it.”

“That's true. You want me to tell you how big your dick is.”

Face growing hot, Kakashi shrugs. “When you say it like that, it sounds weirder than it is.”

Iruka grins. “Come here, you egotist.”

Kakashi does, and when he kneels next to Iruka, Iruka kisses his cheek. “Considering all the fun you've had at Guy’s expense, you get embarrassed very easily about this.”

He looks down Kakashi’s body as if Kakashi might not understand what he's talking about.

“I’m not embarrassed,” Kakashi grumbles.

“You are, but it's cute.” As if he wasn't just complaining about Kakashi looking at his ass, Iruka gives the hem of Kakashi’s boxers a playful tug.

Kakashi sighs.

Iruka glares at him. “What’s that for? Your neighbor is going to be even angrier with me because we got loud, you ruined my nap to tell me you want me to talk dirty to you, and you've been looking at my ass ever since we got in the shower like you weren't just in it.”

“Which neighbor?” Kakashi asks, not touching the first two complaints.

“The one with the crush on you.”

Kakashi searches Iruka’s face for a sign he's joking but finds none.

Iruka lays his head on Kakashi’s chest. “Sometimes I start to envy how cool you can play it, but then you do something like this.” He pats Kakashi’s belly affectionately. “I'm talking about the one who's always trying to take your mask off. You really didn't notice?”

“No, I thought he was just a pain.” Kakashi sighs. “Should I say something?”

“I think I've said enough for both of us,” Iruka says wryly.

Kakashi nods. “You really do get loud, don't you?”

“What can I say? I just love that you've got such a big-”

Kakashi pulls Iruka’s face to his chest with both hands before he can finish the sentence.

It's a mistake. Triumphant noise muffled against Kakashi’s belly, Iruka yanks Kakashi’s boxers down.

He isn't trying to be subtle about it, but neither is Kakashi when he pushes Iruka backwards and lies down on top of him.

“When I’ve got such a big what, Iruka?” he asks.

Iruka laughs and says, “I forget. Help me remember?”

⁂

Guy and Kakashi are returning from dropping their reports off at the Missions Desk early in the morning when Iruka crosses their path, arms heavy laden.

“Let me help you those,” Kakashi says before Guy can, helping Iruka with his armful of unwieldy items.

He takes the jump ropes and the box of toy snakes but leaves the roll of chicken wire.

Iruka sighs in relief. “Thank you, Kakashi.”

Kakashi nods. “Are you headed to the classroom?”

“Yeah, we’re working on agility training again- careful with the snakes. They make an awful sound when they get squeezed or jostled.”

From the look on his face, he already jostled them more than once on the way here.

“That's why you have me, isn't it?” Kakashi asks. “I won't jostle your snakes.”

Iruka gives him such a scathing look that Kakashi can't help but smile.

Leaning in, he asks, “Ready?”

“Any time,” Iruka agrees. He glances over Kakashi’s shoulder, and his lips lift in a wry smile. “Does this have anything to do with him?”

“He's starting to think I’m playing with your heart. It's this or I have to make a profound, public confession of my undying love for you.”

“Would that be so bad?”

“For me? Only a little. For you, though?” Kakashi nudges their shoulders together. “You'd hate it.”

Iruka chuckles. “I would. That only leaves one option, doesn't it?”

Kakashi nods and tilts his head to give Iruka a quick peck.

“Better than a declaration you'd hate,” Kakashi says softly without backing away. “Guy might have missed it, though. We should do it again. Just in case.”

“Of course,” Iruka says. “For Guy.”

He leans up, and Kakashi kisses him again.

It lasts longer than he'd intended, but Iruka leans into him and chases him for another kiss. He's been drinking Kotetsu’s coffee; it smells twice as strong as regular coffee, which is already hard on Kakashi’s nose, and Iruka doesn't drink either when Kakashi is around.

He must not be sleeping well again.

He sleeps better when Kakashi is home with him.

That's a problem for later, though. The coffee smell isn't so bad now, and Kakashi would endure worse for this.

Iruka is in a rare demonstrative mood, and Kakashi isn't going to do anything to dissuade him.

Behind Kakashi, Guy clears his throat.

“Oh,” Iruka says, doing a poor job of looking surprised. “Guy-san, I didn't see you there. Did your mission go well?”

Guy nods quickly. His eyes are shining, and Kakashi feels a twinge of anger that no one has thought to scoop up his best friend. Persistent and devoted to his godawful style as he is, Guy has been full of love for his whole life; he gives all of it without reservation.

He's got a great ass, too.

Anyone with taste should want him.

If Kakashi hadn't fallen for Iruka, he probably would have fallen for Guy.

The acorn thing isn't true anymore. Maybe that's the problem?

“I see my rival isn't neglecting you as I feared!” Guy proclaims, full of joy. He doesn't know how to be resentful of happiness; he's happy because Iruka and Kakashi are happy. His own bachelor status doesn't factor in.

“You're a good man, Guy. Thank you for looking after Kakashi so well,” Iruka says warmly. “Tenten asked me to tell you she's looking for your help with a new technique she's trying out. I don't know more than that, I’m afraid- she only wants your input.”

Guy grins even harder. “Thank you, Iruka-san! She spoke to me about it before I left; I’m pleased she's ready to show me!”

He bids them both goodbye before he takes off enthusiastically, tumbling down the hall.

“Are these really going to the classroom?” Kakashi asks. “You didn't just grab some weird things to justify having your arms full?”

“They really are going with me. I'll have the kids set things up, but I need to get everything sorted for them.”

“They'll be here in half an hour. Do you want me to stay and help?”

Iruka shakes his head as he heads toward his classroom. “I'd like your company, but you should go home and sleep. You look like you haven't sat down in weeks.”

“I've sat down.”

“You don't look like it.”

“Well, I guess I could go home and sleep a little. It would be convenient, after all.”

Expression skeptical, Iruka asks, “And why would that be?”

“Because I’d be waiting for you in bed,” Kakashi says brightly. “Since you said no more fooling around in the kitchen.”

Iruka sighs. “You're such a child sometimes.”

Kakashi hums to himself. His mood is better just by being back with Iruka.

“You're coming over, right?” he asks, shifting behind Iruka so they can fit through the doorway to the classroom.

“Unless you want to sleep in my bed, yeah.”

“You joke, but if your mattress weren't terrible, I would.”

He hasn’t told Iruka that his Inuzuka-friendly habits are Kakashi-friendly, too. Iruka knows from experience that Kakashi’s sense of smell is stronger than humans tend to have, but that's no guarantee that he won't be uncomfortable with Kakashi saying so aloud.

Smell is always a tricky topic with people. It's bad if they don't smell nice, but it's not guaranteed that they'll like it if they do.

Besides being easy on his nose, Kakashi likes Iruka’s apartment because it smells like him. Kakashi really would happily stay in Iruka’s apartment more often if he had a better bed.

Pakkun had sighed when Kakashi once mentioned his apartment still smelling like Iruka after he leaves.

Iruka bends over as he sets his armful down, and Kakashi pauses for a moment before joining him.

The standard issue pants really do hide Iruka’s ass.

Maybe Guy isn't totally off-base with those jumpsuits.

“Stop that,” Iruka complains, straightening up. “I have to get ready.”

“I didn't touch, though.”

“That's very professional of you.”

Clearly not going to be praised for his restraint, Kakashi passes Iruka to set his armful down next to Iruka’s.

As he does, Iruka squeezes his ass.

Kakashi saw him start to reach over and opted not to move out of the way. Iruka’s playful side isn't as rare as the publicly demonstrative one; this is close to being both.

Beaming at him and not moving his hand, Iruka says, “I know you chose not to dodge that.”

He's blushing a little, which is a much cuter reflex when Kakashi isn't the one feeling it.

“That's true. And for being so generous, I think you owe me a kiss.”

“Another?” Iruka asks.

“Another,” Kakashi says.

Iruka glances at the clock. “Just one can't hurt.”

He pulls Kakashi closer and gives him his one kiss. And another. And another, as Kakashi walks him backward until Iruka bumps into the desk.

Iruka’s eye roll is almost audible, but he obligingly hops up and spreads his thighs so Kakashi can stand between them.

He also grabs Kakashi’s ass again between one kiss and the next.

“That's not work appropriate,” Kakashi chides. He kisses Iruka again anyway.

Iruka huffs. “Neither are you, you know.”

“You started it.”

He did and he didn't, but Iruka doesn't argue the point as he gently pushes Kakashi back.

“Go home and sleep. I'll see you after work.”

“I will, I will. Just don't have a big lunch.” Kakashi reluctantly steps back. “We haven't had time to eat together in a while; I want to cook for you.”

Looking happier than he should about something so small, Iruka pulls Kakashi's mask back up.

“I'll be sure to come hungry.”

He's still smiling, and Kakashi makes himself leave so Iruka can finish getting ready.

They probably owe Naruto their thanks, but he pretended to gag the first time he saw them kiss, so Kakashi isn't feeling very charitable.

He could sit on the thanks, though. If he plays it right, he could use it to embarrass Naruto.

Pleased with his plan, Kakashi only takes a small detour to the grocery store before he goes home and gets in bed.

Iruka will be happy with him, and that's all Kakashi wants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I revised this so many times that I can't bear to look at it anymore 😅 Very sorry for the messiness!
> 
> As usual, come say hi on [tumblr](https://asotin.tumblr.com) if you'd like to! I'm asking dumb questions and posting fragments of fics I'd like to write but may never manage to.


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